Page 55 - GEORptOct22

Turkmenistan signs transport cooperation deals with Russia, Georgia, and Moldova
Tusheti road reconstruction will cost $34mn
Gebruder Weiss expands routes on ‘New Silk Road’
China, Kazakhstan, the Middle Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars. As for the cargo types, residual oil, crude oil, methyl, carbamide, and unrefined raw sugar have shown the most significant volume increase.
"The main challenge of the company remains the same: attracting new cargos to the corridor and maintaining them in a long term," said David Peradze, Director General at Georgian Railways.
Turkmenistan signed separate transport cooperation deals with Russia, Georgia, and Moldova on the sidelines of the Ministerial Transport Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries under an initiative entitled “Ashgabat Process: Funding for Better Connectivity”, Turkmen news website Orient has reported.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the Agency for Transport and Communications under Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers and the Russian Transport Ministry on developing international road transportation. Turkmenistan signed a similar agreement with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu, the report added.
In addition, the chairman of Turkmenistan's Agency for Sea and River Routes, Annadurdy Kosyayev, and Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksander Khvtisiashvili signed an MoU agreed between the sea transport agencies of the two countries.
The Ministerial Transport Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries took place under the auspices of the United Nations on August 15-16.
The road leading to north-eastern Georgia’s remote Tusheti highland region is to be reconstructed and modernised to make the drive faster and safer. Tusheti is a popular tourist destination, but it is one of the most dangerous roads in Georgia.
On July 28, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Georgia announced that the project would be completed gradually in 2025. It will cost GEL100mn ($34mn).
The 72 km-long safety improvement project includes roads from Pshaveli-Abano-Omalo. The latter starts from the Pshaveli village and ends in the Lechuri village of the Kakheti region. The reconstruction will be implemented by the Roads Department of Georgia. Overall the project is divided into eight sections. The ministry announced a tender for the road traffic safety improvement works of the first 13.5 km section. In August, another tender will be announced for the works of the 14.7 km section.
Gebruder Weiss, the Austrian full-service logistics provider, is expanding transit links on the 'New Silk Road' to transport goods between Europe, Turkey and China.
The focus is on routes that run along the historic trade route that passes through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to China. This trade route is shorter and less costly compared to other options. The Gebruder Weiss logistics centres in Tbilisi, Georgia and Almaty, Kazakhstan, will serve as hubs for the transport of goods, where they will then be transported by land, sea or rail along the New Silk Road to Central Asia or as far afield as China. The company is preparing for a sharp rise in demand and will offer more truck transport along this route.
"We expect demand for road transport to increase as China re-opens its borders, having closed them as a result of the COVID-19," said Thomas Moser, director and regional manager for the Black Sea/CIS at Gebruder Weiss.
Gebruder Weiss provides truck and rail transport, air and sea freight services. It performs customs clearance, warehouse logistics and e-fulfilment.
55 GEORGIA Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com