Georgia – Uzbekistan: Partnership without political pressure Embracing Central Asia and the Middle Corridor

On March 4 and 5, 2025, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made an official visit to Uzbekistan. During the visit, the 10th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Georgia and Uzbekistan took place in Tashkent, with the participation of government members from both countries.

During the visit, it was noted that Georgia and Uzbekistan are stable trading partners. "We are interested in further expanding trade partnerships between our countries. Investment activities are also possible. Your investment environment can be very attractive to Georgian investors, and Georgia offers a very interesting investment environment for potential investors. We attach great importance to the development of the Middle Corridor," said Irakli Kobakhidze.

Uzbekistan is one of the most dynamically developing countries in Central Asia, and the development of new logistics routes is of great importance for the country. Until recently, Uzbekistan was almost exclusively connected to the outside world via the territories of Kazakhstan and Russia. However, lately, the Middle Corridor has gained strategic significance for the country. As part of the development of this corridor, the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway has already begun. The Middle Corridor offers Uzbekistan the shortest and most economically efficient route to the Black Sea, which, geographically and logistically, is the closest sea to the country and is connected to the world’s oceans. Uzbekistan gains access to Georgian ports on the Black Sea via the route Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan–Caspian Sea–Azerbaijan–Georgia or Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Caspian Sea–Azerbaijan–Georgia.

For Uzbekistan, Georgia is becoming the nearest "window" to the world’s oceans. For Georgia, cooperation with countries like Uzbekistan is of immense importance in terms of strengthening its economic and geopolitical sovereignty. Georgia is gradually emerging from the "Western geopolitical trap." The "drift to the East" has brought nothing but benefits for Georgia. Revenues from transit trade to and from Central Asian countries are a significant factor in the record growth rates of the Georgian economy.

Most importantly, neither Uzbekistan nor other "Eastern" economic partners of Georgia interfere in its internal affairs, demand the infamous "adherence to the rights" of foreign agents, NGOs, LGBT groups, and the like, nor dictate how, when, and where elections should be held. Here, the behavior of Central Asian countries is incomparable to that of the tiny but "European" Baltic states. These countries have negligible significance for Georgia, but their politicians permit themselves aggressive attacks on Georgia’s sovereign policy and constantly make loud and essentially anti-Georgian statements.

Moreover, none of Georgia’s economic partners from the Turkic world has demanded that it "at any cost" engage in a suicidal war with Russia, a demand that the European Union had previously made. It is symbolic that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, ahead of his visit to Uzbekistan, spoke about the unprecedented pressure on Georgia from the EU, which demanded the opening of a "second front."

"The reason why we were not granted candidate status (for EU membership) in June 2022 was our refusal to join the war. We were denied candidate status, followed by an attempt at a revolution. We all remember this very well," said Kobakhidze.

As a result, Georgia only received candidate status for EU membership in December 2023. Kobakhidze also added that after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, representatives from Western countries, during closed-door negotiations with Georgian authorities, openly demanded that Georgia join the war against Russia. "We cannot fully speak about what happened behind closed doors. There were open discussions about joining the war, transitioning to guerrilla warfare after occupation. They spoke to us openly about all of this," said the Georgian Prime Minister.

It is clear that had the Georgian government yielded to European pressure, Georgia's entry into the war would have derailed all plans for the development of the Middle Corridor. Therefore, it is entirely logical and in line with Georgia's national interests that the government suspended negotiations on EU membership, while actively developing ties with its immediate neighbors—Türkiye and Azerbaijan—and with Central Asian countries.

Cooperation with Uzbekistan holds great prospects for Georgia, as evidenced by the composition of the Georgian delegation. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was accompanied by First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili; Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili; Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Irakli Karseladze; Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture David Songulashvili; Minister of Sports Shalva Gogoladze; and Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani.

Today, Uzbekistan, with its vast economic potential and a growing domestic consumer market (the country's population has reached 37 million and continues to increase), is rapidly developing communication links with other Asian countries. It holds the prospect of becoming a unique "land hub" for the region.

Just before the visit of the Georgian Prime Minister to Uzbekistan, the country effectively joined the work of the "eastern branch" of the international transport corridor (ITC) "North-South." The first container train was sent from India to Kazakhstan via Uzbekistan. According to the press service of "Uzjeldorcontainer" (a subsidiary of "Uzbekistan Railways"), the multimodal route from India to Kazakhstan via Uzbekistan includes a maritime section that spans 1,585 km, and a railway section covering 4,300 km. The first train sent along the route consists of 12 twenty-foot containers (TEU). The route begins by sea from the Indian port of Mundra to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, after which it continues by rail through Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to the Sorokovaya station in Kazakhstan.

In the future, "Uzjeldorcontainer" plans to launch regular container trains from India to Central Asian countries. Additionally, Uzbekistan intends to create conditions for redirecting some of the transit cargo along the ITC "North-South" through Afghanistan and Pakistan in the future.

Recently, on February 26, 2025, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, agreed to establish a joint transport and logistics company to increase cargo traffic along the multimodal corridor "Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan" as part of the development of new transit routes. The creation of the joint company was driven by the positive dynamics of cargo transportation, which have increased fivefold in recent years. The parties also emphasized the importance of coordinating efforts to promote the project of building the Trans-Afghan Railway.

Currently, the Trans-Afghan Railway project involves extending the existing railway that connects Hairaton, located on the border with Uzbekistan, and Mazar-i-Sharif to Herat in western Afghanistan. The plan is to further connect Herat with Kandahar and Pakistan, as well as with the country's ports on the Indian Ocean. By participating in the development of the logistics of the Middle Corridor, Uzbekistan is simultaneously establishing ties with South Asia, including Pakistan and India. This creates prospects for both the growth of the country's transit potential and the development of its economy, especially as Uzbekistan has the necessary labor resources for such initiatives.

Moreover, labor migrants from Uzbekistan, particularly skilled workers, are already being encouraged to return to the country, as the growing economy and large-scale investment projects require a workforce. Recently, the Uzbek embassies in Russia and Türkiye published a video announcement on their Telegram channels about recruiting specialists for work in the construction of the "new" Tashkent. The diplomatic missions are inviting Uzbeks working abroad to participate in the construction of the city, which will cover an area of 20,000 hectares. The announcement states that the project aims to create around 10,000 jobs for compatriots working abroad.

The economic development of Uzbekistan, accompanied by infrastructure growth, could become an additional factor in ensuring that a significant portion of land transit between China and Europe will pass through Uzbekistan once the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is completed. In the future, the flows of goods from China and South Asia will converge here and be directed westward through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Therefore, the Georgian government's interest in expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan is entirely justified.

Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, exclusively for Caliber.Az