Uzbek President's visit to Georgia opens new era of connectivity

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — On the eve of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Georgia, editorial staff asked Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Political Scientists' Club, to comment on the significance of the upcoming visit.

"The first official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Georgia in more than 30 years of diplomatic relations has every reason to become a milestone event in the history of bilateral ties," Velizade said.

The scale of this visit extends far beyond the bilateral agenda, fundamentally signaling the start of a new stage in forming a unified space of transport, trade, and economic connectivity between Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

The visit takes place at a moment when the Middle Corridor has definitively transformed from a regional infrastructure project into one of the key elements of the reshaping Eurasian logistics architecture.

Military actions in Ukraine, ongoing instability in the Middle East, risks to traditional maritime routes, and the forced diversification of global trade are prompting major external players to seek alternative ways to deliver cargo between Europe and Asia.

For this reason, the European Union, China, Turkey, Central Asian states, and international financial institutions have demonstrated interest in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in recent years.

For landlocked Uzbekistan, developing routes through the South Caucasus takes on strategic importance. Tashkent seeks to diversify its export and import logistics chains, reduce dependence on specific transit directions, and secure its position as one of the key participants in new Eurasian transport links.

In this context, Azerbaijan, and subsequently Georgia, are viewed as a critical link ensuring the outlet of Uzbek cargo to Black Sea ports and further to European markets.

From this standpoint, the visit of President Mirziyoyev to Georgia and the agreements expected to be reached as a result should be viewed as an important element of a new regional partnership system.

Conditions are effectively being created to gradually build a model of relations that defines the principles of economic interaction, transport connectivity, and logistics across the space from the Black Sea to the Ferghana Valley.

Tashkent, in its characteristic style of proactive diplomacy, is acting as the nation that proposes the cooperation agenda.

Uzbekistan seeks to participate in the formation of new routes, promoting its own vision of regional connectivity, trade, and transport integration, while considering the interests of all neighbors and partners.