Economist Giorgi Khishtovani says he is skeptical that the Georgian government can successfully deliver the Anaklia deep-sea port, arguing that its track record raises doubts about its ability to complete a project of such scale. Speaking on BMGTV, Khishtovani commented on the government's latest plan to develop the port under a landlord model.
Khishtovani said the landlord model is widely used internationally and could allow terminal operations to be managed by private operators, potentially from Central Asian countries. However, he expressed concern that the state intends to finance port construction through additional borrowing.
"My main concern is that the state will have to take on significant debt," Khishtovani said, noting that Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili has already indicated that an additional $200 million will be required to finance the project.
The economist argued that a more favorable scenario would have been attracting a broad group of international investors, including partners from the U.S., the EU, and China, as initially envisioned. He also questioned the government's implementation capacity, saying that if authorities have been unable to complete the renovation of Tbilisi's Varketili metro station over the past five years, he finds it difficult to believe they can successfully implement a project on the scale of the Anaklia port.
