The increased attention to the "Tbilisi Silk Road Forum", which opened on 26 October 2023, is now explained by a number of important regional factors.

Firstly, Russia's aggression against Ukraine has disrupted the traditional east-west transit routes through these countries. And the interest in transit through the countries of the South Caucasus, mainly through Georgia, has increased sharply. As a result, the transport infrastructure of the region and Georgia involved in international transit is now overloaded and in need of expansion and development. Moreover, Russia, which has cut itself off from the West through its aggression against its neighbour, is also interested in the development and expansion of this infrastructure.

Secondly, the so-called "Artsakh" separatist project in the territory of Azerbaijan-Karabakh, which until recently seemed "eternal" to some geopolitical forces, has finally been eliminated. There is hope for a lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the opening of borders and new transit routes in great demand by the world economy, in particular the Zangezur corridor.

Thirdly, the elimination of the separatist "Artsakh" shows that the elimination of the other two remaining zones of occupation and separatist "deadlocks" on the territory of Georgia - in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region - and the restoration of Georgia's territorial integrity is as inevitable as the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, which has already taken place. This means that these Georgian regions will also be restored, just as Azerbaijani Karabakh was restored after the occupation, and they will also be included in the international transit. It is therefore necessary to plan investments now, taking into account the "post-separatist" and "post-conflict" future of the South Caucasus region.

According to Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili, interest in the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum is at an all-time high. More than 2,000 participants are attending the forum, representatives of 50 countries have arrived, and there is increased attention to the forum from large companies and investors.

"Georgia is effectively participating in various corridors, including the growing role of the "Middle Corridor" as an alternative, reliable route, as well as the shortest route between Europe and Asia, and we have been working on this for years to increase its efficiency. When we talk about connectivity, we are not only talking about transport links, we are also talking about deepening economic ties and trade relations, investment opportunities and cooperation in various sectors of the economy. In general, the role of Georgia has increased not only in transport and logistics, but also in many other sectors, and therefore the range of activities of the companies that came to Georgia within the framework of the Forum is very wide" - said Levan Davitashvili.

It is also symbolic that the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Tbilisi for the International Silk Road Forum.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Silk Road Forum in Tbilisi, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov recalled that over the past twenty years Azerbaijan has initiated and participated in the most important regional projects implemented jointly with Georgia and Turkey. He mentioned the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Corridor (including TANAP/TAP), the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Baku International Sea Trade Port.

According to Ali Asadov, the Midland Corridor running through the region can become one of the safest and fastest corridors in the world. The potential of the Midland Corridor, along with the railways, is closely linked to the handling capacity of the ports. Today, the creation of new port infrastructure is on the agenda of Azerbaijan's cooperation with Georgia within the framework of this corridor: "Thanks to the Azerbaijani government's investments in transport infrastructure, thousands of kilometres of roads and railways have been built, international airports have been opened, the civilian naval and air fleets have been expanded, and the Alyat Free Economic Zone has been created. All these initiatives have enabled our country to meet the growing demand for transport along the "Middle Corridor". It should be noted that in order to meet this demand, in addition to infrastructure projects, we are cooperating with Georgia and other partners in other areas. As a result of the work done to improve the efficiency of the Middle Corridor, significant results have been achieved in a short period of time in terms of price, speed and quality parameters. For example, delivery times from Kazakhstan to Georgian ports have been significantly reduced compared to previous years. Our goal for next year is to halve this time to 11-15 days" - said Ali Asadov.

The Republic of Armenia, which is still isolated because of its aggressive policies in the past, is also interested in participating in regional transit projects. "Our roads with our two neighbours - Azerbaijan and Turkey - are closed. Without roads, it will be difficult to achieve peace. - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who travelled to Tbilisi for the Silk Road Forum, said. He said a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan could be signed within a few months.

Armenia is missing out on the opportunities for participation in transit projects and economic development that lie ahead because of the slowdown in the peace process, the unblocking of communications and the opening of the Nagorno-Karabakh corridor. And lost time is lost opportunity. This is proven by the experience of the same Karabakh Khays, who were given three years to give up their separatist illusions and gradually integrate into Azerbaijan. And they never used this opportunity, hoping for revenge. Then, when the separatist formations did not disarm for three years, contrary to the peace agreements of November 2020, they were defeated and preferred to leave the territory of Azerbaijan. If the Republic of Armenia is also reluctant to respond to the peaceful and constructive proposals of its neighbours in the region, the same may happen to them.

Grigol Giorgadze