Georgia Convenes Foreign Ministers of All Five Central Asian Countries in Batumi

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botcharishvili received the heads of foreign ministries of all five Central Asian states in Batumi on October 23: Rashid Meredov from Turkmenistan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi from Kazakhstan, Zhenbek Kulubaev from Kyrgyzstan, Sirodjidin Mukhriddin from Tajikistan, and Bakhtiyar Saidov from Uzbekistan. Botcharishvili held bilateral meetings with each of the ministers.

At a briefing following the meeting, Botcharishvili spoke of "historic friendship and common economic interests" between the countries, also noting the shared goal of strengthening ties between Europe and Asia and the particular importance of developing the Middle Corridor — a trade route connecting Asia and Europe bypassing Russia. According to Botcharishvili, the meeting demonstrated that "Georgia is a very important country for Central Asia in terms of access to international markets."

The day before, on October 22, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze hosted the ministers at an official dinner. He stated that deepening relations with Central Asian countries and developing cooperation in various sectors are a priority for the Georgian government.

The Batumi meeting continues a series of high-level contacts: Kobakhidze has visited Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and in July Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov visited Georgia with official visits. The intensification of relations with Central Asia unfolds against the backdrop of strained ties between Tbilisi and the United States and the European Union.