“I personally had a conversation with our strategic partners about the Anaklia port project, and three years ago, I urged them to encourage Western companies to be more active and interested in the construction of this port,” said Irakli Gharibashvili, Chair of Georgian Dream.

He highlighted that a large Chinese company ultimately emerged as the winning bidder, expressing satisfaction with China’s involvement in such a strategic project.

“It turned out that the final bidder, a major Chinese company, is the winner. According to our decision, 51 percent of the ownership will be retained by the state, while the remaining 49 percent will belong to the winning partner. For those familiar with logistics or cargo, it should be clear that attracting additional cargo to the country is beneficial. On the contrary, everyone should be pleased that China has shown interest in this strategic port. China’s participation is crucial for the development of this corridor. Unfortunately, despite our repeated appeals and requests to Western partners, no Western company has stepped forward to join this project. Therefore, we must face reality,” said Gharibashvili.