Under the sails of great prospects: Kazakhstan infrastructure project revives the Georgian port of Poti

In the harbor of Poti, located on the Black Sea coast in Samegrelo – Zemo Svaneti, the lights of a promising undertaking lit up. A capsule was laid here, symbolizing the beginning of construction of the first Kazakhstan container terminal. This ambitious project aims to establish strong ties between Kazakhstan and Georgia, expanding the ways of interaction and trade.

The laying ceremony was attended by key figures in the field of economy and infrastructure development of both countries – Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, and Marat Karabayev, Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan. In the autumn of 2023, an active start of the project is planned, the construction of the terminal is timed to October and is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The essence of the project lies not only in building infrastructure, but also in creating business prospects for both countries. Marat Karabayev stressed that the new container terminal will contribute to the formation of cargo flows and provide favorable tariff conditions on this route. This approach will revitalize transit cargo through Kazakhstan and Georgia, strengthening the countries' positions in world trade.

The Minister of Economy of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili, expressed his conviction that such a collaborative approach takes the cooperation of the two countries to a new level. Economic ties between Georgia and Kazakhstan continue to flourish: cargo turnover between them reached $ 3 million in 2022 and continues to increase, which underscores the importance of infrastructure projects for the sustainable development of partnerships.

The implementation of the infrastructure project for the construction of a multimodal terminal in Poti was secured by an agreement signed in June 2023. The project provides for the creation of a terminal on an area of 8 hectares, with a turnover capacity of 80 thousand containers per year.

The port of Poti, as a key transport hub connecting Central Asia with the Black Sea, is becoming the epicenter of new cooperation. The container terminal built will open up not only cargo routes, but also new tariff opportunities for business. The project will strengthen ties and allow Kazakh exporters to attract additional volumes of transit cargo through the Republic of Kazakhstan.