Giorgi Kobulia, former Economy Minister of GD government, stated that if he were the government's decision-maker, he would build the Anaklia project with the participation of Russia, China, and the USA.
Kobulia told BMTV that compared to other corridors, the middle corridor was less competitive and required additional guarantees from the state.
"If I were in the government, I would implement the Anaklia project with 25% share ownership from Russia, China, and the USA. I would give these three investors equal shares and invest 25% myself as the state and issue guarantees.
I think that any rational person would demand these guarantees. When this Russia-Ukraine conflict ends and the routes through Russia are restored, of course, this project might face economic problems. Because there won't be enough cargo flow and this risk exists," - Kobulia said.
When asked by the host why the Anaklia port tender cannot be completed, despite having identified a preferred investor, Kobulia said that there were primarily economic reasons for this.
"The Anaklia port project is a very expensive infrastructure project in which attracting investment is generally very difficult. Because the competitiveness of the middle corridor is not as high as we think. []
There have always been very big questions about whether this port makes any sense at all. Because of this, attracting cargo to this port has always been difficult. The second factor that complicates attracting investment is geopolitical instability," stated Kobulia.
