MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

A multimodal container terminal was officially opened in Poti. The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Guram Guramishvili, participated in the event. As he noted in his speech, the terminal is an example of cooperation between the participating countries of the Middle Corridor, as it involves their contribution in terms of construction, investment, and future operation.
"Opening of the multimodal terminal is a joyous occasion, as an investment of this scale has not been made in the Poti transport complex for years, and such a modern terminal has not been launched. Transport sector workers who are familiar with the structure of Middle Corridor shipments will notice that the terminal is fully adapted for block trains. It is precisely through their quality service that the result will be achieved that makes the Middle Corridor a more competitive route, which is very important for us" – Guram Guramishvili stated.

The multimodal terminal project was implemented by JSC Poti Transterminal, a company jointly established by Kazakh and Georgian parties. The investment value of the project is 31,5 million US dollars. The terminal is located near the Poti port on an area of more than 9 hectares, and its annual throughput capacity, at the first stage, will be more than 80000 containers. In addition, as stated by Poti Transterminal, the terminal will simultaneously serve up to 120 railway wagons and employ more than 100 people. The terminal will serve both international and local shipments. The processing of cargo for regional destinations in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia is also significant.

The opening ceremony of the Poti multimodal terminal was attended by Kasim Tlepov, Deputy Chairman of the Railway and Water Transport Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan; Malik Murzalin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Georgia and the representatives from China and Azerbaijan. The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development thanked the guests for their participation in both the Poti terminal and other infrastructure projects, and consequently, for their contribution to increasing the competitiveness of the Middle Corridor route.

"The opening of the Poti terminal is an important development for our country and beyond – I am referring to the capacities of the Middle Corridor, which are gradually increasing both in Georgia and in our partner countries. As you know, last week we opened the Tbilisi Dry Port, and the new terminal in Poti is an additional capacity that will greatly benefit the development of the Middle Corridor" - Guram Guramishvili added.