Doha, October 22 (QNA) - Within its keenness to participate in various international and regional events and meetings, the State of Qatar is participating with a delegation headed by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti in the Tbilisi Belt and Road Forum, which was inaugurated today in Tbilisi, Georgia, under the theme: "Partnership for Global Impact".

Inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia in Tbilisi today, the forum saw attendance of over 2000 participants from 60 countries, including heads of states, ministers, diplomats and representatives of international and business organizations.

In his opening speech, Gakharia stressed the importance of the new Silk Road in modern economic integration and globalization, saying that the participation in the initiative is among the top priorities of the Georgian government.

Georgia was one of the first countries applauding the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to create new trade corridors between Europe and Asia and improve existing ones, he said.

The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, he said, is "an important opportunity" and a platform on which the countries involved in the BRI, international organizations and the private sector discuss regional economic challenges and explore ways to overcome the challenges and share experience.

The forum is held for the third time in Tbilisi. It is opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia and organized by the Georgian ministries of foreign affairs, economy and sustainable development and supported by China and the Asian Development Bank.

The mission of the forum is to serve as an international platform for multilateral high-level dialogue among senior policymakers, businesses and community leaders to discuss important issues on trade and connectivity, examine challenges facing countries along the New Silk Road connecting East and West, and find common solutions that have a positive impact on the region and the global economy. Day 1 provides opportunities to discuss a full spectrum of issues related to trade, artificial intelligence (AI), transport and energy in separate panel discussions, and Day 2 focuses on the private sector and investment opportunities in Georgia.

According to press reports, Georgia has many advantages that qualify it to play a key role in the Silk Road project. It is the only country among the Silk Road countries that has free trade agreements with the EU, China, Turkey, and the CIS countries, and has a good position to attract foreign investment.

Georgia is also a member of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It is a regional railway link that directly connects Kars in Turkey, Tbilisi in Georgia and Baku in Azerbaijan and allows the exchange of goods between China and Europe in just two weeks.

By 2020, Georgia will complete the construction of a new 185-kilometer East-West highway, and plans to build and develop a deep-sea port in Anaklia on Georgia's Black Sea coast which will accommodates goods of great value and will reach a total capacity of 100 million tons.

The Belt and Road project is a Chinese initiative that aims to connect China to the world by investing billions of dollars in infrastructure along the Silk Road linking it to the European continent.

"Belt" refers to the overland routes for road and rail transportation, called "the Silk Road Economic Belt"; whereas "road" refers to the sea routes, or the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The new route is a giant project involving 123 countries, through which China wants to accelerate delivery of its products to world markets, including Asia, Europe, Africa, South and Central America. (END)