Georgia, as a transit country, plays a big role for Armenia:   Pashinyan

ArmInfo.Communications are of key importance for the development of trade and economic relations, which provide an opportunity to integrate into the world economy and  provide vital links at the national, regional and international  levels. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this on August 19 at  the official opening ceremony of the Friendship Bridge, which was  also attended by head of the Georgian government, Irakli  Garibashvili.

"Undoubtedly, the centuries-old ties between our two friendly  countries, based on common values and historical heritage, need such  a modern and important infrastructure that meets the requirements of  the time, which creates a solid foundation for our future broad  cooperation. I am more than convinced that today all the necessary  prerequisites have been created to develop and deepen future  relations with fraternal Georgia in accordance with the important  priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia>, the  Prime Minister of Armenia said.

According to him, in the current conditions of complex challenges, an  outstanding growth has been recorded in the Armenian-Georgian trade  and economic relations, as noted by the Prime Minister of Armenia,  according to statistics, the growth in trade compared to last year  amounted to 97%. This growth is encouraging and the result of  collaborative, continuous and consistent work, he said.

According to Pashinyan, the Armenian-Georgian trade and economic  relations have great potential for growth. There are serious  opportunities for deepening cooperation in industry, agriculture,  pharmaceuticals, information and communication, transport, energy,  tourism and other areas. "Bilateral cooperation in the transport  sector and in a number of international transport bodies allow us to  take real steps not only in the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international  transport corridor, but also in other initiatives that provide a key  link in the transport sector," Pashinyan stressed.  The RA Prime  Minister noted with satisfaction that regular passenger  transportation between Armenia and Georgia is carried out both by  land and by air. With regard to cargo transportation, additional  efforts and continuous joint work are needed to ensure their easier  movement. In this context, Nikol Pashinyan also stressed the  importance of cooperation in the field of railway transport and the  expansion of multimodal, in particular, ferry transportation.

, he added. 

As the Armenian prime minister pointed out, Armenia and Georgia  should also develop border cooperation, which was very important  during the pandemic.  

The construction of the new bridge is a joint Armenian-Georgian  project funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and  Development (EBRD), the governments of Armenia and Georgia. The total  budget of the program is about 9 million euros, of which 7.2 million  euros are loans from the EBRD, and the remaining 1.8 million euros  are the budget funds of the two countries. Tunnel Sadd Ariana, JV of  Soosung Engineering Co., Ltd and Korea Consultants International Co.   Ltd participated in the implementation of the project.  The credit 

"Program for the modernization of the northern border points of  Armenia" between the Republic of Armenia and the European Bank for  Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was signed on November 23,  2012. The agreement on the construction of the Friendship Bridge  between Armenia and Georgia was signed on December 24, 2014.   Construction started in May 2021 (initially it was planned to put the  bridge into operation before the end of 2016). The new infrastructure  project will also save the time of carriers, the passage of people  through the checkpoint will be reduced from 15 minutes to 5 minutes,  and cargo - from 75 minutes to 25 minutes.