UAE’s economic footprint in the South Caucasus Redrawing the investment map

On 19 September 2025, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Tbilisi on an official visit. Symbolically, the UAE leader’s visit to Georgia came shortly after his visit to Azerbaijan on 16 September 2025, where his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev took place in Shusha, a city in the Karabakh region liberated from occupation.

During his visit to Azerbaijan, it became clear that UAE companies are showing interest in large-scale investments in the infrastructure of the Middle Corridor, which passes through the South Caucasus. In the presence of the presidents of the UAE and Azerbaijan, the Baku Shipbuilding Plant and the Abu Dhabi Ports Company signed a contract for the construction and sale of two container ships. These vessels will operate in the Caspian Sea, where demand is growing for container transport along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s trip to Tbilisi demonstrated that the UAE also intends to invest in Georgia, a key country of the Middle Corridor alongside Azerbaijan, with strong potential for the development of transport, industry, energy, and tourism. It is no coincidence that this summer, with UAE investment participation, the Tbilisi Dry Port multimodal project was launched, becoming an important part of the Middle Corridor’s infrastructure.

Abu Dhabi Ports Group is a co-owner of Tbilisi Dry Port, having acquired 60% of the port under construction in 2024. Previously, Abu Dhabi Ports Group had already made active investments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and opened an operational office in Türkiye. Thus, Tbilisi Dry Port has linked Abu Dhabi Ports Group’s transit infrastructure assets along the Middle Corridor into a unified network.

UAE investors in Georgia also own assets such as Terabank, the Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel and Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace, as well as the Tbilisi Mall shopping centre. Additionally, UAE investment includes the Carrefour supermarket chain, operating under a franchise and owned by Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets.

“There are close ties between Georgia and the Emirates. This will be further reinforced through deepening cooperation and the implementation of numerous new projects—in trade, business, economy, industry, and energy, as well as in sectors that are priorities for both countries. I would like to highlight the growth in bilateral trade. This cooperation is extensive, and there is no doubt it will continue to develop, especially in the transport sector.

The Emirates will support the development of partnerships within the framework of agreements implemented by various investment companies. This strengthens relations between Georgia and the Emirates. Our countries share a common vision of stability, peace, and people-to-people connections. Both sides are also deepening cultural cooperation, sharing a rich heritage that forms the basis for development.

I want to assure you that the United Arab Emirates will strengthen partnerships among the countries of the Caucasus region and promote stability, peace, and shared interests. Peace is the central axis for the development and strengthening of the economy,” said UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the government administration.

Following the negotiations in the presence of the two countries’ leaders, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvri­vishvili and Eagle Hills founder Mohamed Alabbar exchanged signed investment agreements.

The documents provide for the implementation of two large-scale projects in Georgia: in Tbilisi (Tbilisi’s Krtsanisi Park) and in Adjara (Gonio Marina), with a total value of $6 billion. Of particular note is the Gonio Marina multifunctional complex in Adjara, covering 260 hectares on the Black Sea coast, which will include a world-class yacht marina, apartments, hotels, shopping centers, and a recreational zone.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream party, also met with the UAE President. The meeting was attended by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvri­vishvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili, and Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani.

According to the official press release, the main topic of the talks was planned UAE investments in Georgia. This meeting was a natural part of the UAE President’s visit, directly linked to major business projects.

It would have been unusual for UAE investors and their head of state to ignore Georgia’s leading businessman and largest domestic investor.

However, the very fact that Bidzina Ivanishvili met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sparked sharp dissatisfaction from the pro-Western Georgian opposition, led by former president Salome Zourabichvili, who described the reception of the UAE President by Ivanishvili as evidence of “the annulment of the state.”

“The fact that the state has been abolished has become obvious. Receiving an official foreign visitor has turned into a shameful parody! The government, the parliament, everyone has disappeared, they have appeared as Bidzina's slaves for everyone to see!” wrote Zourabichvili on Facebook.

Interestingly, in May 2025, the same opposition and Zourabichvili personally criticised Ivanishvili for refusing to meet with the “departing” US Ambassador to Georgia. However, at that time, the former president apparently did not consider that a meeting of the US ambassador with the government and parliamentary leadership could be interpreted using her favourite term “Bidzina’s slaves.”

On 22 May 2025, the US Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan, reportedly “at the request of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” approached Bidzina Ivanishvili with a proposal for a personal meeting. The purpose was to deliver a message from Washington and discuss steps for the Georgian government to restore strategic partnership with the United States. However, Ivanishvili refused. His decision appeared logical, as the matter involved political issues that the ambassador should discuss with the executive and legislative authorities, not with a private businessman.

The indignation of Zourabichvili and the pro-Western opposition over the UAE President’s visit and his meetings is entirely understandable. Their myth of Georgia’s “complete isolation” under the rule of the Georgian Dream party is crumbling. Large-scale investments are entering the country, jobs are being created, and the foundations for economic growth are being established. The opposition is simply unable to offer an alternative. During her own presidency, Zourabichvili failed to attract significant investments to Georgia, even from France.

Today, UAE investments are coming to Georgia largely thanks to the political stability ensured by the current authorities. And it is precisely this stability that the opposition seeks to undermine through its actions.

By Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, for Caliber.Az