Levan Davitashvili, the Minister of Economy of Georgia, has indicated that the Chinese consortium may not be declared the winner of the Anaklia deep-water port investor selection contest.
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"One applicant has been identified, but we have not announced the winner yet. The winner will be declared only if the conditions specified align with the tender requirements. We are currently engaged in discussions about this, and therefore, we have no reason to declare this consortium the winner today," Davitashvili said at a briefing held at the government administration.
In response to a journalist's question about the possibility of the Chinese consortium not being declared the winner, Levan Davitashvili said:
"Of course, it is possible that the consortium may not be announced as the winner. However, we hope that through this dialogue, the proposal will be adjusted to meet the competition requirements, and we will have a winner. We do not have a time limit for this process.
We have engaged several consulting firms, mainly to address technical aspects, to assist us. They are currently reviewing the revised proposal. We will consider their feedback and, after discussing it with the consortium, there will be another round where we hope to clarify the terms. If we receive a suitable proposal, we will announce it as the winner, after which we will proceed with the legal processes for drafting an agreement."
Two bidders met the qualification requirements for the selection of a private partner for the Anaklia deep-water port project: a Swiss-Luxembourg company and a Chinese consortium. However, in the end, only China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) proposed to invest in the state project. On May 29, the Minister of Economy announced that the Chinese state corporation would be declared the winner in the coming days.
CCCC is sanctioned by the United States. US Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan, stated that CCCC is primarily owned by the Chinese Communist Party, which is "the number one financier of the Russian military." President Salome Zourabichvili also criticized the government for selecting the Chinese consortium, arguing that "bringing Chinese entities to Anaklia in such a substantial way is a significant strain on our relations with American and European partners."
The Anaklia port is to be developed with state participation, with the state holding a 51% share and the private investor holding 49%. The port is expected to receive its first container ships by 2029. According to the project, the investment cost of the first phase is $600 million and involves the construction of a terminal with a capacity of 600,000 containers per year.
