10:28AM GMT 28 Oct 2015
By Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
Shortly before Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, made his state visit to the UK, Georgia was hosting the inaugural Tbilisi Silk Road Forum.
Just as the Chinese president's visit was historic for the UK, the two-day Tbilisi forum was momentous for Georgia and our region. The stakes attached to both events are huge. The UK aspires to become a leading trade partner for China, while Georgia seeks to boost investment and economic growth through the revival of the ancient Silk Road.
For centuries, the Silk Road was the most important land route connecting Europe and Asia. This distinctive path became a source of prosperity and intensive trade relationships. It also promoted the exchange of knowledge, experience, and cultural interactions among different countries. We are today breathing new life into this corridor of global prosperity and cooperation.
My government's goal is to build Georgia into a prosperous country that leverages its geographic location as a vital crossroads connecting East and West, and North and South. A regional hub and centre for exchange, Georgia is Europe's natural gateway towards Asia.
As Europe's eastern-most entry point by both land and sea, we are Europe's "shortcut" to the Silk Road and trade with China. With our deep ties to the European Union, including our new Association and free trade agreements, our historical links throughout the region, and our burgeoning trade links with China, India, and elsewhere in the Middle East and Asia, Georgia is the ideal platform to foster investment and economic exchanges.
To that end, Georgia earlier this year hosted the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the inaugural meeting of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Global interest in Georgia is snowballing, particularly because of our strategic location and welcoming business environment. From Georgia, individuals and companies have easy access to billions of consumers in Asia and Europe; through Georgia, Asian products and energy resources reach Europe faster.
This project is not just about highlighting Georgia's role as a bridge between Europe and Asia. It is about creating a shared benefit for all people from Beijing to Brighton and beyond.
The Silk Road region accounts for two thirds of the world's population and 60 per cent of its GDP. It has the potential to become a key force to expand trade, develop new energy resource and supply chains, and increase cultural exchanges. The countries of the Silk Road are dynamic, and, thanks to reforms undertaken in recent years, we have strong and growing economies.
Nevertheless, no matter how much we can achieve individually, regional cooperation is critical to reaching our full potential. Our success will depend on our ability to fully harness the capacities and potential of the Silk Road, by generating new initiatives and ideas which boost competition - while avoiding conflict.
Significantly, the Chinese Government was a co-sponsor of our forum, the first time Beijing had helped organise an international event about the Silk Road outside China. Under the leadership of President Xi, this support shows China's strong commitment towards Georgia and driving the restoration of the Silk Road.
Today, most goods travel from China to Europe via a long sea route. By working together, the countries along the Silk Road can transport goods from China to Europe significantly faster and at a fraction of the cost.
However, this means we must work together to simplify tariff and customs policies as well as integrate and modernise our infrastructure. We therefore concluded the forum with a work programme for how to deepen integration along the Silk Road, with a view to reporting next year on the significant progress made in implementing this plan.
A new era is opening for our region. We have much work to do, but I am excited at the prospect of future forums to spur our progress towards a bright future together.
By the same token, the UK has much to gain from embracing the investment and trade opportunities offered by the Chinese president's visit. If the UK is as successful at this as Georgia was at our forum, we will all have made great strides in building a seamless and efficient trade network across two continents, launching a new era of peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/11959643/Georgia-can-help-build-a-Silk-Road-of-trade-from-Brighton-to-Beijing.html