BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 2. The upcoming visit of
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tbilisi highlights the continued
expansion of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and
Georgia.


The visit takes place against the backdrop of deepening economic
and political cooperation between the two states and reflects
Tashkent’s broader strategy of diversifying its external
partnerships beyond Central Asia while enhancing engagement with
the South Caucasus.


In this context, Georgia has assumed increasing importance for
Uzbekistan as a transit hub connecting Central Asia with Europe via
the Middle Corridor, particularly amid ongoing shifts in Eurasian
trade patterns. For Tashkent, closer ties with Tbilisi provide
improved access to Black Sea logistics routes and European markets,
thereby supporting efforts to diversify export corridors and reduce
dependence on traditional northern routes.


The economic scale of both countries further underscores the
strategic rationale for closer cooperation. Uzbekistan, with a
nominal GDP of $181.5 billion in 2026 according to the
International Monetary Fund, remains one of Central Asia’s largest
and fastest-growing economies, with projected annual growth of
6.5%. The increase in GDP per capita, estimated at $4,661 this year
and up by more than 21% compared to 2025, also reflects
strengthening domestic demand and the expansion of industrial
capacity.


Meanwhile, Georgia continues to demonstrate solid economic
momentum, with GDP growth reaching 6.4% in May and averaging 7.8%
over the first five months of 2026, driven primarily by finance,
manufacturing, transportation, and communications. Against this
background, enhanced Uzbek - Georgian cooperation appears
increasingly economically viable, as Uzbekistan can leverage
Georgia’s transit infrastructure and access to the Black Sea to
expand its export capacity, while Georgia can further consolidate
its role as a gateway for Central Asian trade and investment. This
growing economic complementarity creates favorable conditions for
deeper long-term cooperation in trade, logistics, energy, and
industrial development.


At the same time, Georgia has intensified its engagement with
Central Asia as part of its long-term strategy to establish itself
as a key trade and transit bridge between Europe and Asia. For
Tbilisi, deeper cooperation with regional economies such as
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan is essential for fully
unlocking the potential of the Middle Corridor and increasing cargo
flows through Georgian infrastructure.







Georgia’s growing outreach to Central Asia was recently
illustrated by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s visit to
Kazakhstan, during which trade, transit, and transport cooperation
were key topics. The talks reflected Tbilisi’s wider efforts to
expand regional connectivity and enhance its strategic importance
in Eurasian trade routes.


Against this backdrop, Mirziyoyev’s upcoming visit appears to be
part of a wider regional trend rather than an isolated bilateral
event. In recent years, Georgia has expanded political dialogue
with Central Asian states and promoted investment opportunities in
logistics, energy, tourism, and transport, reflecting the region’s
growing importance in global supply chains as businesses seek
alternative routes between China and Europe.


Transport and logistics are expected to remain central to the
upcoming talks. For Uzbekistan, Georgian infrastructure,
particularly the Black Sea port of Poti, has become increasingly
important as a gateway for exports to European and Mediterranean
markets. The port serves as a critical node in the Azerbaijan -
Georgia transit corridor and plays an important role in
facilitating container shipments from Central Asia.


Taken together, the logistics agenda suggests Georgia is seeking
to cement its role as Central Asia’s primary Black Sea gateway,
while Uzbekistan is working to strengthen alternative export
corridors amid evolving regional trade dynamics. This mutual
interest indicates that the visit could move beyond symbolic
diplomacy and result in practical agreements aimed at deepening
trade, improving regional connectivity, and expanding long-term
investment cooperation.