BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1
Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Currently, the freight flow from Georgia to Lithuania is still small and in 2020 amounted to 31,000 tons, but there are prospects for growth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Lithuania told Trend.
"In 2011, the Klaipeda State Seaport of Lithuania signed two MOUs with the ports of Georgia: with Poti Sea Port Corporation and with Batumi Sea Port Ltd", the source said.
According to the ministry, more cargo from Georgia is expected in the future as Klaipeda – the leading port in the Baltic States – has good conditions for transportation of oil products and containers (in 2020 over 47.7 million tons of cargo were handled through Klaipeda port, of which 5.7 million tons oil products).
"The development of container train routes also plays an important role in transport cooperation with the South Caucasus countries. Lithuania together with Belarus and Ukraine initiated a joint project of the container train "Viking", which involves the Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian railways and the ports of Klaipeda, Odessa, and Ilyichevsk," the MFA said.
After Georgia and Azerbaijan joined the project in 2015-2016, the Viking route reached the Caspian Sea and connected the Baltic-Black-Caspian Sea regions, potentially attracting transit freight flows along the TRACECA corridor not only from the Caucasus and Central Asia but also from Iran and China, the source said.
"Another international format with participation of Lithuanian and Georgia ports is the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum. The aim of the forum is to promote co-operation in the fields of trade, transport, logistics, and science between the countries of the Baltic Sea region, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran," the ministry added.
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