Uzbekistan plans to launch a logistics center with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes at Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti in 2027, according to the office of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Mirziyoyev also said Uzbekistan would begin practical implementation of the Anaklia deep-sea port project, speaking at an open dialogue with entrepreneurs in Khiva on 18 August, Ports Europe reported.

Part of a wider domestic and regional logistics push

The Poti centre and Anaklia commitment were announced alongside plans for large transport and logistics hubs within Uzbekistan itself, in Alat, Termez, Yangiyul, Akhangaran and Khanabad. The announcement builds on Uzbekistan’s existing investment at Poti, where a $18.3 million multifunctional logistics terminal has been under construction in the Poti Free Industrial Zone since September 2024, developed in phases to include cold storage, general cargo warehousing and bulk and container handling facilities.

The commitment follows a state visit by Mirziyoyev to Georgia in July, during which the two countries signed a strategic partnership declaration and agreed around 70 trade and investment projects worth close to 1 billion US dollars. Georgia separately outlined plans in December to invest 7 billion US dollars in ports, transport, logistics and infrastructure [[link needed - see note]], with Uzbek officials describing Georgia as a key transport hub linking Central Asia to European markets via the Middle Corridor.

Anaklia’s long and uncertain history

Anaklia has been repeatedly delayed since Georgia’s government cancelled its original development contract in January 2020. A consortium led by China Communication and Construction Company was later awarded the project, with Georgia retaining a 51% stake, and construction of the port’s offshore works is under way with Belgian dredging company Jan De Nul. Ports Europe’s own reference guide to the Middle Corridor notes that Poti currently handles around 80% of Georgia’s container traffic but cannot accommodate larger bulk carriers, a constraint Anaklia is intended to address once complete.