Ilia Darchiashvili, the foreign minister of Georgia, and Vladimir Norov, the acting foreign minister of Uzbekistan, met in Tashkent on July 19. The meeting was scheduled as part of a trip to Uzbekistan by a Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The two sides discussed ideas to strengthen links in the areas of politics, business, transport, communication, tourism, and culture during the negotiations. It was stated that the transportation and transit sectors offer numerous opportunities for involvement. The parties also discussed how to effectively use Georgia's seaports and Uzbekistan's logistics hubs for the export and import of goods; how to mutually provide discounts and benefits for their transportation; and how to establish a network of transportation corridors connecting Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Moreover, the parties expressed their willingness to continue cooperating within international institutions.
As part of his visit, the Georgian prime minister met with his Uzbek counterpart, Abdulla Aripov. According to the Georgian government's press office, the parties discussed matters of bilateral cooperation during the meeting. Among these, an emphasis was placed on economic relationships. In this section, the prospects for expanding multilateral cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Georgia were highlighted. During the debate, it was pointed out that the number of tourists visiting Georgia has grown over the past few years and that economic ties between Georgia and Uzbekistan are steadily growing.
Georgia has been identified as one of Uzbekistan's most important transportation corridors. According to the Georgian prime minister, Georgia participates in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the development and reconstruction of the East-West highway, and the Black Sea-Caspian Sea transport route in order to expand its role as the country's logistical centre.
It was also underlined that in 2021, the turnover of bilateral trade between states will increase by 18.5% and reach 115 million dollars. It was noted that Georgia is interested in further increasing the export volumes of Georgian wines and mineral waters to the markets of Uzbekistan, among others; therefore, the parties discussed the creation of joint ventures. In addition, they examined the possibility of Uzbekistan utilising Georgia's transport infrastructure and ports to export its goods to the European market. Garibashvili remarked that Georgia and Uzbekistan have long enjoyed excellent and cordial relations.
In his turn, Abdulla Aripov emphasised that the visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia to Uzbekistan is an important event in the relations between the two countries: "Mr. Irakli, welcome to our country, dear friends and guests. We are sincerely glad to welcome you and the Georgian delegation to hospitable Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, you are well known as an experienced and energetic leader. Under your leadership, effective measures will be taken to develop the national economy. This is the first official visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia to Uzbekistan and, of course, it is an important event in Uzbekistan-Georgia relations. Welcome to Uzbekistan. Long live the friendship between Uzbekistan and Georgia".
