Strengthening digital connectivity with Europe could make Georgia an important bridge between Asia and Europe - the country could become a digital skills hub for Central Asia- Antonio Zaballos

Having this interconnection with Romania and, more broadly, with Europe could make Georgia a bridge between Asia and Europe - Antonio Zaballos Digital Director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said in response to a question from an InterPressNews correspondent.

ADB plans to invest 20 billion dollar in the development of the “Asia-Pacific Digital highway”. The project includes the expansion of fiber-optic networks, submarine cables, and regional data centers across the region.

Georgia is also part of this project. At the same time, the country is involved in the “Black Sea Submarine Cable” project, which will connect Georgia to Romania through digital infrastructure.

Accordingly, we asked the Asian Development Bank representative how possible it would be to connect these two digital projects in the future and what role Georgia could play.

“When we think about digital transformation, there are no borders. Data flows across different countries and doesn’t really recognize borders. I think that creating this digital corridor is definitely the way to go for many reasons: first, in terms of integration; second, in terms of the sustainability of that investment; and third, because it’s the only way to go. We are talking about huge investments that require economies of scale. And economies of scale are tightly related to the traffic that the infrastructure will carry.

Georgia is already part of the Asia-Pacific digital highway - the same as any other ADB member country. It is something that we are already discussing with the government, and we plan to deepen those discussions. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit Georgia. However, along with our planned presentation in Tbilisi, this is something we are actively working on, and we will continue to deepen the discussion with the government

Having this interconnection with Romania and, more broadly, with Europe could make Georgia a bridge between Asia and Europe. There are already some ongoing initiatives in other countries, but not necessarily ones that directly link Europe and Asia. I think that this is definitely something that may be interesting to explore going forward. But let me add one thing - it is not just about infrastructure; There are also other types of hubs we can think about, particularly in the area of digital skills. Sometimes, digital infrastructure attracts other types of hubs. It would not be unrealistic to think of Georgia becoming a hub for digital skills in Central Asia.

So, I think we need to think big and think long term. One possible direction for the country could be to host a regional digital hub for Central Asia, ensuring that it can eventually attract investment from other countries as well.

I hope that later this year, or early next year, I will have the opportunity to visit Georgia to gain a better understanding of how we can contribute to improving the digital ecosystem,“ - said Antonio Zaballos at the 59th Annual Meeting of the ADB.

The Asian Development Bank’s annual meetings are being hosted by Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from May 3 to 6. The main theme of this year’s meetings is: “Crossroads of Progress: Advancing the Region’s Connected Future.”