"Thirty percent of companies operating in the Poti Industrial Zone of Georgia have Azerbaijani capital. This figure is growing every year," Chief Investment Officer at the Poti Free Industrial Zone, Tamar Sakheishvili, told Report.
She said that there is great potential to expand cooperation with Azerbaijani companies: "Azerbaijan is one of the main target countries for us and is one of the largest supporters of Georgia's Poti Industrial Zone. At present, Azerbaijani companies in the port operate mainly on the construction materials' production, textiles, and chemicals."
Sakheishvili called on Azerbaijani companies to invest in the Poti Free Industrial Zone: "Companies can carry out trade and production operations in the Poti Industrial Zone. Azerbaijan and Georgia are logistically interconnected. The location of our port is in the direction used by Azerbaijan. Our cooperation provides an excellent opportunity for Azerbaijani companies to move in the direction of the Black Sea very quickly and easily, at quite reasonable prices. By operating in the zone, Azerbaijani companies can export their products to CIS and European countries and benefit from many advantages created by the free zone. We are open to companies operating in all areas. Our area is quite large and covers 300 hectares."
Sakheishvili stressed the importance of the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Georgia business forum, held in Baku on December 14.
"The event was a very good platform for deepening ties between the countries, establishing contacts between enterprises, as well as negotiations for trade and cargo transportation," she added.
Compared to a year earlier, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia increased by 33.5% in January-October 2021 and exceeded $623.26 million. Azerbaijan's exports increased by 32.2% compared to the same period last year to $539,463,000, while imports increased by 42.6% to $83,800,000.