PM Kobakhidze: Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will strengthen Middle Corridor

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will strengthen connectivity between Europe and Asia and enhance the strategic role of the South Caucasus in global trade and logistics.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the railway route, Kobakhidze described the project as a significant example of strategic cooperation between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

According to the prime minister, the Georgian section of the railway is one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in the region. The route stretches 180 kilometres from Marabda to the Turkish border, including the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 153 kilometres of track and the construction of 27 kilometres of new railway line.

Kobakhidze said that more than 1.8 million tonnes of cargo, including around 90,000 containers, had been transported on the railway since 2017, when it began operating in a test mode.

He noted that freight volumes have shown consistent growth over that period, underlining the route's economic and logistical importance.

The prime minister said the railway forms a key part of the Middle Corridor, a trade route linking Europe and Asia. Once fully operational, he said, the line's annual cargo capacity will reach five million tonnes, significantly increasing the region's transit potential and improving the corridor's competitiveness.

Kobakhidze argued that the project has become even more important amid global economic and geopolitical challenges, when diversification of trade routes and secure transport links are increasingly seen as critical to economic development.

"The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway brings Europe and Asia closer together and strengthens our region's strategic importance within global trade and logistics networks," he said.