Georgian Parliament Speaker highlights South Caucasus region’s enormous potential to strengthen its role as hub for trade, transport, energy, digital connectivity

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said the South Caucasus region had enormous potential to strengthen its role as a hub for trade, transport, energy and digital connectivity.

In his address at the 67th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), Papuashvili noted that the current period should be viewed not only in terms of challenges, but also in terms of new opportunities to further strengthen cooperation.

He further emphasised a special importance of the development of the Middle Corridor.

“By improving transport infrastructure, developing logistics networks, facilitating trade and strengthening multimodal connectivity, we can make our region an attractive and reliable connecting link between regions and continents”, the Speaker said.

“A more stable neighborhood is in the interest of every country represented in this Assembly. The ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is encouraging, as are the efforts to normalise relations between Turkey and Armenia, which create prospects for greater stability and cooperation for our wider region. Earlier this month, the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, a joint strategic project of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, was put into operation”, he continued.

Papuashvili stressed that this was a clear example of how practical cooperation could bring mutual benefits and contribute to the implementation of the common vision - a more connected and prosperous region.