ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili on July 21, exploring ways to expand the transport and logistics links along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
Photo credit: primeminister.kz
In the first half of 2025, the volume of rail freight traffic between the countries surpassed 159,500 tons, representing a 67% increase over the same period in 2024.
An important step in the development of TITR was the launch of a new Kazakh container terminal in the Georgian port of Poti. The terminal has a design capacity of 120,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year and represents the first Kazakh infrastructure project implemented in one of Georgia’s key maritime hubs.
“This is a vivid example of successful cooperation, which is set to play an important role in increasing freight traffic volumes along the Middle Corridor. It is important to note that this project harmoniously complements Kazakhstan’s existing infrastructure within the TITR, including logistics terminals in the Chinese cities of Lianyungang and Xi’an. This creates a unified, consistent logistics chain connecting East Asia with Europe,” said Bektenov.
The Prime Minister also stated that Kazakhstan views Georgia as a reliable economic partner, as evidenced by the growth in bilateral trade, which reached $75.2 million in January–May 2025—a 35.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The government officials also discussed the possibility of increasing supplies of Kazakh agricultural products – including grain, flour, meat, dairy, and confectionery products – to the Georgian market.
During the meeting, Georgian Minister Kvirivishvili agreed on the importance of expanding partnership with Kazakhstan in the areas of trade, tourism, and logistics infrastructure.
Meeting with Energy Minister
During her visit, Kvrivishvili also met with the Kazakh Minister of Energy, Erlan Akkenzhenov. The ministers explored ways to expand cooperation in the energy sector.
Minister Akkenzhenov emphasized the strategic importance of Georgia for diversifying the routes for supplying Kazakh hydrocarbons.
“We highly value the reliability and stability of Georgia’s transport infrastructure. In 2024, 1.4 million tons of Kazakh oil were transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and this year we plan to increase this volume to 1.5 million tons,” said Akkenzhenov.
He also highlighted the importance of the Batumi sea port and the Batumi oil terminal for regional logistics.
The sides also discussed collaboration in the green energy sector, focusing on potential synergies between two major initiatives: the Trans-Caspian energy corridor project being implemented by Kazakhstan in partnership with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and Georgia’s project to install a high-voltage cable across the Black Sea. Both sides expressed a shared interest in establishing a unified energy corridor linking Central Asia to Europe.
