Batumi, 23 October. Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi took part in a meeting of the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries and Georgia in Batumi at the invitation of Georgia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili; particular attention was paid to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Middle Corridor.
The ministers of the six states praised cooperation based on similar or fully aligned approaches to key issues and stressed the importance of regular dialogue. They discussed how to make the Middle Corridor more competitive by modernising infrastructure, digitalising freight and simplifying transit procedures. The Kazakh side stressed the importance of coordinated action to unlock the transit potential of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
During the visit Tileuberdi and his counterparts toured the Batumi Sea Port, a Kazakh asset in Georgia and one of the key links of the Trans-Caspian route. The Middle Corridor is a route for goods from China and Central Asia to Europe across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, bypassing Russia.
What it means: Central Asia and Georgia are agreeing to promote the route across the Caspian together, and Kazakhstan is showing partners its Batumi port as part of that route.
Who benefits: Transit countries and carriers, which get more cargo; Kazakhstan, which gets more traffic through its Batumi port.
Background: The format of meetings between the foreign ministers of Central Asia and Georgia brings together six states.
List of sources used: Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
