BRI facilitates int'l connectivity, economic development: Georgian vice PM

Georgian Vice Prime Minister Maya Tskitishvili receives an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides new opportunities for better connectivity and economic development for various countries, Georgian Vice Prime Minister Maya Tskitishvili has said.

The BRI "will not only promote connectivity between different countries, but also provide new opportunities for economic development of various countries and international cooperation," Tskitishvili told Xinhua in a recent interview prior to her trip to China.

Tskitishvili, who is also minister of regional development and infrastructure, will attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held on April 25-27 in Beijing.

The forum will be a golden opportunity for the participating countries to summarize the achievements and jointly seek further actions to deepen future cooperation, said Tskitishvili.

Tskitishvili also said the BRI is significant to global economic development.

The initiative plays a positive role in boosting regional economic development and connectivity and creating new opportunities for the participating countries, said Tskitishvili.

On bilateral relations, Tskitishvili spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between China and Georgia in different areas.

She noted that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1992, bilateral relations have flourished with high-level exchanges becoming more frequent, and economic cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges showing positive results.

Tskitishvili hailed the rapid development in economic and trade between the two countries thanks to the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between China and Georgia.

The vice prime minister also said that the first China International Import Expo held last year in Shanghai offered new prospects for Georgian enterprises to enter the Chinese market, which will also promote the development of bilateral economic ties.

The BRI has strengthened Georgia's unique geographical position as a transportation hub in the region and brought extra investments, industrial development and job opportunities to the country, she added.

Noting that infrastructure and logistics are priority areas for future cooperation between China and Georgia, Tskitishvili said Georgia welcomes more Chinese engineering enterprises to enter the country.

She also noted that more and more Georgian enterprises will enter the Chinese market due to China's further opening up.