Interview: Georgian PM hails China's Belt and Road Initiative as booster for bilateral ties

China's Belt and Road Initiative is of crucial significance and Georgia will actively take part in the development strategy, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has said.

"The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative will bring together Asia and Europe with closer trade and cultural ties," Kvirikashvili told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

"It will enhance the understanding and cooperation among all the relevant countries of the Silk Road Economic Belt in the future. It is very important," he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, in 2013 to strengthen Asian, African and European development through closer ties.

The trade routes run through the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the vibrant East Asia economic circle at one end and the developed European economic circle at the other.

The initiative will bring more opportunities and prosperity to countries along the route, Kvirikashvili said.

With regard to the role his country will play in the initiative, he said, "I believe Georgia will fully take advantage of its favorable geopolitical position as a transportation hub between Asia and Europe."

According to Georgia's national statistics office, the country's exports to China in the first two months of 2016 totaled 36.4 million U.S. dollars, a 66 percent increase year-on-year, making China the fastest growing destination for Georgia's commodities.

In February, Georgia announced its plans to build a deep-water port in the town of Anaklia on the Black Sea in a 2.5-billion-dollar project that aims to boost trade between China and Europe along the historic Silk Road route.

Kvirikashvili said Georgia will facilitate the transportation of Chinese goods to European countries and benefit all the countries concerned. For these purposes, Georgia is now actively improving its infrastructure across the country.

As for relations between Georgia and China, he said bilateral ties have rapidly developed in recent years and friendship between the two countries has grown stronger.

China ranked as Georgia's fourth largest trading partner in 2015, with their foreign trade turnover reaching 713 million dollars.

To further expand bilateral trade, China and Georgia officially launched the first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement in February, pledging to work closely together to conclude a comprehensive deal within the year.

"Georgia-China relations now are the best in history," said Kvirikashvili, "and the Belt and Road project will promote it to become an even closer one in the future." Endi