Silk Road Forum is Underway in Tbilisi
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, October 16
Georgia is hosting The Silk Road Forum, where regional partners get together and enhance bilateral partnerships in four main areas of cooperation: transport, energy, trade and business. The event takes place in Tbilisi on October 15-16.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the large-scale international event is being organized in association with the government of the People's Republic of China, by support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The organizational issues are being regulated by the Ministries of Economic Development and Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
Tbilisi Silk Road Forum consists of several panels with the following topical discussions:
Revival of the Silk Road - new opportunities for enhancing trade and economic cooperation;
Transport and Infrastructure: keeping up with demands of the cross-border trade;
Trade Facilitation along the Silk Road: overcoming key obstacles to harmonization;
The Energy Silk Road: pipelines and electricity trading across borders; Seizing Investment Opportunities in Georgia.
Through the new Silk Road, Georgia will link China to Europe with the shortest way that enabled China to transport cargo to Europe. So Georgia will use its strategic importance as a transportation-infrastructural hub of the region and will create a transit corridor between Europe and Asia.
Officials from 32 countries as well as representatives of 20 international, financial and donor organizations are taking part in the event. More than 1000 guests have arrived in Georgia.
The event is under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, who also opened the event, underlining the importance of the forum and the Silk Road.
According to him, the Silk Road had been the most important land route connecting Europe and Asia. It was a unique road, which turned into a source of harmonious international relations and intensive trade; the road also promoted the exchange of knowledge and experience between different countries and deepened cultural relations.
“By restoring this important corridor of universal prosperity and cooperation, we are taking a serious step. Georgia has strong ties with the European Union, including the association and free trade agreements, and enjoys the increasing cooperation in trade with China, India, Japan and the Middle East and other Asian countries, which is why, our country is an ideal platform for today's discussions. The global interest in Georgia is increasing more and more mainly due to the country's strategic location and favorable business environment," the Prime Minister addressed the participants of the forum.
Garibashvili noted that the forum is not just about highlighting Georgia’s important role as the corridor between Europe and Asia; it is also about creating shared benefits for all peoples from Beijing to Brussels.
