Ukraine to begin ferry cargo traffic to Georgia bypassing Russia
Ukraine made an agreement with Georgia to transport goods via ferry and bypass Russia, as reported to Hromadske Radio by the Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Trade Representative of Ukraine, Nataliya Mykolska.
According to her, the Prime Ministers and heads of relevant ministries participated in the talks.
"It is very important for us to first restore the volume of trade that we had with Georgia up to the moment of military and commercial aggression by the Russian Federation. Historically, goods from Ukraine to Georgia were moved by rail through Russian territory. That’s why the primary task is to establish a direct sea link, a ferry line, between Ukraine and Georgia so that Ukrainian goods can move to Georgia and further on to the countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China," Mykolska said.
She also noted that it is important for Ukraine that the ferry service not only works, but that it gives the country competitive tariffs.
"Several promising areas have been identified, including food production and machine building, where cooperation and questions regarding creative industries and light industries could happen," Mykolska added.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman, was in Georgia on a two-day visit this week. During talks with the Georgian authorities, he stated that Kyiv and Tbilisi should double the trade turnover to $1 billion a year.