Uzbekistan and Georgia discussed expanding freight transportation and strengthening logistics cooperation through Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti during a series of meetings held at the end of June.
According to Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport, the discussions focused on increasing the volume of export and import cargo handled through the port, while developing broader cooperation in the transport sector.
On June 29, First Deputy Minister of Transport Mamanbiy Omarov and Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Georgia and Azerbaijan, Bahrom Ashrafkhonov, met with Georgia's Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Tamar Ioseliani.
The parties discussed opportunities to make greater use of Georgia's port infrastructure to support Uzbekistan's foreign trade and reviewed the implementation of joint transport projects.
The meeting also covered prospects for expanding freight transportation by road, rail, air, and sea. In addition, the sides discussed diversifying logistics routes, modernizing Uzbekistan's transport infrastructure, and strengthening its integration with the Middle Corridor.
On June 30, a working group led by Omarov visited the port of Poti, where meetings were held with the management of the Poti Free Economic Zone, container terminal operator APM Terminals, and representatives of Poti New Sea Port and Pace Group.
During the visit, the Uzbek delegation reviewed the port's logistics infrastructure, including facilities for receiving, storing, processing, transshipping, and containerizing export, import, and transit cargo before onward transportation.
The discussions also focused on expanding the use of Poti's infrastructure for handling Uzbek cargo and increasing freight volumes through the port.
Additional topics included the use of indoor and outdoor warehouse facilities, temporary storage services, container handling operations, measures to improve the stability and competitiveness of logistics chains, and the organization of multimodal freight transportation.
