Georgia, Kazakhstan agree to deepen political cooperation

ISTANBUL

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday highlighted the importance of further deepening political cooperation with Kazakhstan amid an official visit to the Central Asian nation.

"Further deepening our political cooperation through various formats is equally very important," a statement from the Georgian government quoted Kobakhidze as saying during talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana.

Expressing that the friendship between their countries is based on "very strong historical and traditional roots," Kobakhidze said that bolstering the partnership between Georgia and Kazakhstan is one of the priorities of Tbilisi's foreign policy.

"Political cooperation between our countries is very important for us," Kobakhidze further said, thanking the Kazakh president for supporting Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The statement also said that Kobakhidze "emphasized Georgia's role as a transit hub and the importance of joint efforts to enhance connectivity and develop the Middle Corridor."

The Middle Corridor, also called the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, is a network of railways and roads that starts in Türkiye and covers Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, and Central Asia, and reaches China, making it an important effort to revive the ancient Silk Road.

For his part, Tokayev defined Georgia as a "very important partner" for Kazakhstan, lauding the significant progress Georgia has made in recent years.

"We closely follow Georgia's economic development. As far as I know, last year's economic growth reached 9.4%, which is a very impressive achievement," Tokayev was quoted as saying.

Georgia's government announced late Wednesday that a delegation headed by Kobakhidze embarked on a visit to Kazakhstan.

Earlier today, Kobakhidze also held talks with his Kazakh counterpart Olzhas Bektenov.