Former special advisor on Soviet nationality problems and Baltic affairs to former Secretary of State James Baker, American analyst Paul Goble is sure that Moscow doesn't want the Anaklia Drainage Port project to go forward.

“Moscow doesn't want any alternatives for the flow of goods other than through Russia or its clients. It has lots of leverage both directly in the Georgian government and through its businesses”, Paul Goble told the Accent.

As for the importance of the Anaklia project, the analyst said that “the development of this port is of critical importance for three reasons: first, it will enable Georgian firms to export more; second, it will allow Georgia to play a bigger role in east-west trade of various kinds; and third, it will promote Georgia's integration both into NATO and into the EU,” Goble said.

“Such deepwater project is critical to the supply of men and materiel to an alliance member,” he added.

The construction of the Anaklia Drainage Port started on December 20, 2017. The opening of the first phase of the Port is scheduled by 2021.

The Anaklia Development Consortium is a joint venture of Georgia’s TBC Holding LLC and Conti International LLC, a U.S.-based developer of infrastructure and capital projects.