Due to the New Anaklia Port Model, the State Will Need to Mobilize an...
According to the minister, the mentioned amount was necessary to
implement a new component, which involves the arrangement of
fundamental port infrastructure, including berths, communications and
other related infrastructure. The total investment volume of the
project remains unchanged and amounts to $1.1 billion, although the
proportion of financing is changing. Under the previous concept, the
state's obligation was limited to the current infrastructure
(breakwater and dredging), as well as the railway and access road,
while the new model also includes the construction of berths.According
to Mariam Kvrivishvili, $50-52 million has been optimized within the
framework of the current construction works. Accordingly, instead of
$250 million, the state will need to find an additional $200 million,
which will be financed from budget funds and in cooperation with
international financial institutions (IFIs). According to the
minister, negotiations with international donors have already begun
and there is great interest in the project. Private international
operators will have to invest in fully equipping the berths.As for
cooperation with the Chinese-Singaporean consortium, the minister
noted that the parties will continue to work actively. “We remain in
a very friendly and partnership mode with the Chinese side. We are
confident that, given the importance of this project, we will see the
involvement of the Chinese side in the updated model of the Anaklia
port,” said Kvrivishvili. He also added that who specifically will
be the representative of the Chinese side in the new model will become
more clear in the ongoing work process.Ultimately, the state will
invest in the Anaklia port in three directions: dredging and
breakwater works, construction of a railway and a connecting road, and
a new component - the construction of the main port infrastructure and
berths.According to the original project of the Anaklia deep-water
port, the port was supposed to receive its first ship in 2020.
However, that same year, the Georgian government canceled the
investment agreement signed in 2016 with the Anaklia Development
Consortium, which delayed the implementation of the project for
years.Later, on May 29, 2024, the government announced that a 49
percent stake in the port would be acquired by the Chinese-Singaporean
consortium China Communications Construction Company. The company is a
key player in China’s ambitious global project, the Belt and Road
Initiative, but has been blacklisted by the United States for its
destructive actions in the South China Sea.Despite the Chinese
presence, Western partners are also interested in the project. In
March 2026, the Anaklia Port plan was presented to Peter Andreoli, a
representative of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the
US State Department, who was visiting Tbilisi. At this time, an
official investment agreement has not yet been signed between the
parties and work on detailed agreements is ongoing.According to Prime
Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, at this stage, the first phase of the port
is expected to be completed by 2029. In parallel with the construction
of the port, work is also underway to arrange an access road and
railway.
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