Iran, Georgia Eye Plans for Linking Caucasia to Middle East
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Senior officials from Iran and Georgia highlighted the significance of linking the Caucasus to the Middle East by facilitating rail and road transport between the two countries.
Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri and Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili met on the sidelines of the International Neutrality Conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Saturday.
Pointing to the enormous potential for cooperation between Tehran and Tbilisi in oil and gas industry, tourism and agriculture, Jahangiri said Iran and Georgia can link “the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea” by promoting rail and road transport.
Margvelashvili, for his part, agreed that connecting the Caucasus to the Middle East via transportation of trade goods will contribute to “peace and stability” in the region.
He noted that other Black Sea countries, like Bulgaria and Romania, are also eager to improve access to the transit networks passing through Georgia to the Middle East.
Georgia seeks stronger interaction and cooperation with Iran on the regional issues for the sake of peace, the president added.
Georgia, a country with a population of 4.5 million, targets 3 percent economic growth in 2016, up from 2 percent expected this year.
