Page 49 - GEORptFeb21

anticipated in the second quarter of 2021. The dominant supplier for these markets is Russia.
The EU has provided substantial regulatory and financial support to SGC over the years, given it will enable countries in southern Europe to diversify their energy imports. It is unlikely that the ambitious project would have been realised without this backing.
Construction on the €4.5bn ($5.3bn) TAP took four and a half years to complete, with the pipeline originally due to have started operations in early 2020. Delays were earlier caused by permitting issues in Italy, where there has been a strong backlash to the pipeline from environmentalists. Construction work this year was also disrupted by coronavirus-related restrictions.
9.1.2​ Transport sector news
Maersk launches first “block train” to link China and Georgia
Danish integrated shipping company Maersk has operated the first block train—a train type in which all the railcars carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination—connecting China and Georgia.​ It is the first such service developed specifically to meet Georgian import requirements.
On October 4, the train from Xi’an in Shaanxi province, China, arrived in Tbilisi, completing a journey that inaugurated the new rail connection, which complements Maersk’s current coverage of the Caucasian republics (Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia), Maersk ​announced​.
“We are extremely happy to manage the first ever block train shipment under a product based entirely on intercontinental rail. We arranged this special service specifically for Georgian customers, and we plan to develop block train solutions for the whole Caucasus Region”, Irakli Danelia, Georgia commercial representative at A.P. Moller – Maersk, said in a press release.
In addition to providing another goods transit connection between Asia and Europe, further expansion of the product will strengthen Georgia’s role in the New Silk Road development. Xi'an has traditionally been the starting point of the Silk Road, namely the land routes that have connected East and West for over one thousand years.
“We look forward to seeing the first block train shipment under Maersk’s intercontinental rail (ICR) product help Georgia and this corridor in becoming a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia,” added Danelia.
9.1.3​ Aviation sector news
Georgia prepares to resume international flights but maintains many restrictions
International flights will resume in Georgia starting February 1, Georgian economy minister Natia Turnava has announced, stating that all airlines that have already operated on, or plan to enter the country's aviation market in the future, will be able to operate regular flights.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Maia Tskitishvili announced on January 22 that certain COVID-19 restrictions would be extended in some of the largest cities through March 1, while rules would be eased as planned in some others. The nationwide coronavirus curfew – which runs from 21:00 to 05:00 – will be prolonged to March 1. Public transport will remain closed in the capital Tbilisi, as well as in the large cities of Rustavi and Kutaisi until that date as well.
From February 1, a wide array of shops and shopping malls will reopen in the cities, while both open and closed marketplaces will return to operation starting February 15.
Also starting from February 1, outdoor areas of restaurants and other food facilities will reopen exclusively in the coastal Adjara region, albeit they will
49​ GEORGIA Country Report​ February 2021 ​ ​www.intellinews.com