Georgia ready to participate in China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative: Deputy PM

China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative is strategically important and Georgia wants to actively participate in it, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Kakha Kaladze said Tuesday.

"The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative will bring together Asia and Europe with closer trades and cultural ties. It will enhance the understanding and cooperation among all the relevent countries of the Silk Road Economic Belt in the future. It is strategically important," Kaladze said in an interview with Xinhua before his first official visit to China.

The initiative will make it possible to transfer commodities from China to Europe, which will bring more trade opportunities and common prosperity to the countries along the Silk Road route, he added.

With regard to the role Georgia will play in the project, he said, "I believe Georgia will fully take advantage of its favorable geopolitical position as a transportation hub between Asia and Europe."

Georgia will facilitate the transportation of Chinese goods to European countries and benefit all the countries concerned. For these purposes, Georgia has initiated a bidding of building a deep-water port in the city of Anaklia on the Black Sea. Upon completion, it will take only 17 days to transport goods from west China to Eastern European countries.

Both China and Georgia attach great importance to the initiative, said Kaladze, adding that Georgia for its part attaches great importance to deepen cooperation with China and has always regarded it as a diplomatic priority.

The two countries have maintained close coordination and cooperation in this regard, and bilateral relations have rapidly developed in recent years, the deputy prime minister said, adding that the friendship between the two countries has grown stronger with more mutually beneficial cooperation in various sectors, especially in trade and investment.

For his visit to China, the deputy prime minister said that he will bring a large delegation to discuss the future development of bilateral ties with his Chinese partner.

"Georgia has been ready to take concrete steps to further cooperate with China in the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt project, which will promote peace and development for the benefit of the relevant countries," Kaladze said.