Milan, Italy: A high level session on ‘Trans-Caspian Connectivity‘ took place on May 6 (Tuesday). The session took place during the 58th edition of the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which was held in Italy from May 4 to May 7, 2025. The theme of the session was – Trans-Caspian Connectivity: Development Opportunities for Transport and Energy Corridors.
The Vice President of the South, Central, and West Asian region of the Asian Development Bank – Yingming Yang, opened the session. The Ministry of Finance of Georgia shared details and snippets of the session on its Facebook page. The post went up on May 6, 2025.
Notably, the session was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia, Ekaterine Guntsadze. He participated in the discussion in strengthening the bilateral ties between the European countries. It was also focused on advancing the energy sector of various nations.
Also present at the session was Eugene Zhukov, Director of the Central and Western Asia Department at the Asian Development Bank.
Participants of the session- Trans-Caspian Connectivity
The panel discussion was also attended by the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Deputy Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan, and representatives of the private sector in the field of energy.
Key highlights of the session
The session focused on strengthening transport resilience between the Caucasus and Central Asia. It enhanced efficiency among Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) countries. The session also helped in advancing regional cooperation in the energy sector.
However, the Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia, Ekaterine Guntsadze, highlighted the strategic role of the country. Georgia serves as a connectivity hub between Europe and Asia.
She also emphasized the ongoing investments in the country’s energy sector and underlined the importance of the Black Sea Submarine Electricity and Internet Cable project. The Minister noted its regional significance for both Europe and the South Caucasus.
