U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan on Monday said “The United States has been a strong supporter Anaklia deep water port for years because we think that it can be a very important contribution to Georgia’s orientation to the Black Sea.”

The Ambassador went on to say that “this is critical infrastructure for Georgia to development develop, and that’s why the United States has been encouraging the development of an Anaklia port for quite some time.”

She believes “Anaklia will bring not only a big contribution to Georgia’s economy, but also will create some good jobs for Georgians in that region and beyond.”

“We can all see now that if Anaklia had been completed last year as was originally planned, it would be a huge contribution as Georgia develops its role in the middle corridor, bringing goods from Central Asia through to Europe.

My understanding is there are a number of global qualified port operators that are interested in Anaklia, and that the government plans to move forward with a tender early next year. Of course, we think that Anaklia will bring not only a big contribution to Georgia’s economy, but also will create some good jobs for Georgians in that region and beyond. So, we remain big supporters of the development of Anaklia deep water port, done in a way that is in the best interests of the country of Georgia, and that protects Georgia’s critical infrastructure,” she added.