Georgia ready to enlarge cargo transit to Afghanistan 4- or 5-fold

A working meeting on motor traffic from Europe to Afghanistan via the Caucasus took place in Tbilisi on Friday in the attendance of Georgian Economic Development Minister Lasha Zhvania, European experts, representatives of international organizations and the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) organized the meeting.

“We discussed assistance to the delivery of cargo to Afghanistan and reduction of transit formalities,” Zhvania told the media. “Today Georgia transits a certain amount of such cargo, but this amount is not large. Georgia may enlarge the land transit four- or even five-fold,” he said.

“The delivery of humanitarian cargo to Afghanistan is very important for the coalition, particularly, for the United States,” Zhvania said. “Georgian authorities are doing a lot for the rapid transit and security of cargo with speedier customs clearance and development of road infrastructure. It is necessary to facilitate border control formalities not only between Georgia and Azerbaijan but also between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, on the Uzbek frontier, up to Afghanistan.”