Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly referred to the Chinese–Singaporean consortium as the tender winner. While the consortium is the sole remaining bidder, the official decision by the commission has not yet been announced
Peter Andreoli, a U.S. State Department official, is visiting Georgia and travelled to Anaklia on March 26 to observe ongoing work on the Anaklia deep sea port — a project initially planned as a Georgian–U.S. venture but later annulled. A new tender for the project has selected a sole bidder – Chinese–Singaporean consortium led by a company sanctioned by the United States during Donald Trump’s first term.
However, the promise made two years ago that the tender award would be announced “in the coming days” has yet to materialize, and a new contract between Georgia and the private partner has still not been signed.
It should be noted that this visit comes as Georgian Dream seeks to restart relations with the United States after bringing them to a historic low.
Almost simultaneously with the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Georgian Dream shifted its course and began drifting away from the West, including its long-standing strategic partner, the United States — rapidly undermining strategic relations and burning bridges. In parallel, Tbilisi formed strategic partnership with China and even made controversial high offcial visits to Iran, attending events marked by chants of “Death to the America.”
U.S.–Georgia relations reached a historic low by the end of 2024. Despite repeated offers and attempts by the United States to prompt the Georgian government to change course, the Georgian Dream–led government continued to intensify its anti-Western and hostile rhetoric and actions. This culminated in U.S. sanctions against the party’s founder — widely seen as the country’s informal leader — former prime minister (2012-2013), oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, along with several high-ranking officials.
The Georgian Dream continued on its increasingly authoritarian path. Around a couple of months before being sanctioned, Bidzina Ivanishvili gave an interview in which he complained about his financial losses amounting to millions and reiterated his claim that he had effectively been under “de facto sanctions due to Georgia’s refusal to join sanctions against Russia”. He cited his private financial dispute with Credit Suisse as proof.
According to Ivanishvili, this situation gave him a “complex” about whether he could engage with international partners solely in Georgia’s interests, without any influence from personal considerations. He added that this was the reason why he had declined to meet the then U.S. Ambassador, Robin Dunnigan. There was expectation for the meeting to take place after the parliamentary elections 2024, but it never happened.
Concerns about losing the United States as a strategic ally were consistently met by Georgian Dream with promises of a “restart” in relations once Donald Trump returned to office, asserting that their values aligned with his.
More than a year has passed, and Georgian Dream continues to seek such a reset from Trump. At the same time, however, they appear unwilling to abandon actions such as celebrating Iran’s Islamic Revolution in Georgia’s capital — even as Trump had threatened military action against Iran. The most recent was Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze congratulating Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on his ‘election’ as Iran’s new Supreme Leader amid continued war in the Middle East
As the U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ended the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenia now appears to be attracting major U.S. investments, while Georgia remains the only country in the region that has not held an official bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump since he took the office in the begining of 2025.
What Georgian Dream presents as steps toward restarting relations with Georgia’s nearly lost strategic partner amounts to Tamar Bagrationi’s participation in “Fostering the Future Together” global summit hosted by the U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and photos of waved hands and/or handshakes at large diplomatic events.
In June, 2025 U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan announced about retirement. Alan Purcell has served as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, since July 16, 2025. Alan Parcel also participated in the March 26, 2026, Anaklia visit together with Peter Andreoli, a representative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
During the visit, as reported by Georgia’s Ministry of Economy, the deputy minister discussed the Middle Corridor and the importance of the Anaklia port project—which, in fact, was awarded to a consortium led by a Chinese company sanctioned by the United States:
“The parties discussed in detail the port’s master plan and the design of the maritime infrastructure, on the basis of which the construction and mobilization works are underway.
Alongside maritime infrastructure, the railway sector was also discussed. It was noted that the railway is a critical component of the Middle Corridor.
The delegation was also briefed on planned projects in the railway sector, as well as major investments being implemented by the state in this direction.
These include the railway line project connecting to Anaklia. Taken together, these projects create a multimodal transport system and significantly increase the corridor’s capacity and operational efficiency,” reads the press release published by the Ministry of Economy.
The meeting was also attended by senior representatives of Anaklia Sea Port LLC, Georgian Railway, and the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia.
From a Georgian-US Consortium to a Chinese–Singaporean One: Who Is Building the Anaklia Port?
It is known that under the new arrangement, a joint company should be established with the private investor to build the port, in which the Georgian state will hold a 51% stake, while the private partner will own 49%.
In March 2017, the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Development Agency was established to monitor the investment agreement signed on October 3, 2016, between the Government of Georgia and the Georgian-US consortium Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC) for the building, operating, and transferring (BOT) of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port.
On December 24, 2017, the launch of the port’s construction in Anaklia was ceremonially inaugurated by then–Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Mamuka Khazaradze, founder of the Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC).
On January 9, 2020, under Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the Georgian government announced it was terminating its contract with the ADC, which had been responsible for building the port, citing failure to fulfill its obligations.
The ADC was founded by Mamuka Khazaradze and included Conti International (USA) and TBC Holding (Georgia). The consortium (ADC), along with its Dutch investor Bob Meijer, initiated arbitration proceedings against Georgia. In July 2024, under ICC rules, the tribunal rejected ADC’s claim and ordered the consortium to pay $650,000 to the Georgian government.
Dutch investor Bob Meijer also filed a separate arbitration claim with ICSID against the Georgian government, seeking compensation for damages he allegedly incurred; however, this claim was also dismissed.
Meanwhile, the government began preparatory work in the second half of 2022 to launch a new selection process for a private partner for the project. The Anaklia Deep Sea Port Development Agency hired international consultants — MTBS for commercial matters and Squire Patton Boggs for legal matters — who helped prepare the tender documentation.
On September 20, 2023, the Ministry of Economy announced that two companies had advanced to the second stage of the selection process for a private partner for the Anaklia deep-sea port project, though their identities were not disclosed.
In 2023, the state established Anaklia Sea Port LLC. At the initial stage, the company is tasked with designing and constructing the maritime infrastructure, including dredging and the breakwater. According to the Ministry of Economy of Georgia, this company will also receive, as a capital contribution, part of the land required for the first phase of construction.
In May of 2024, the Government of Georgia named the Chinese–Singaporean consortium – China Communications Construction Company Limited (China) & China Harbour Investment Pte. Ltd (Singapore) – as the sole remaining bidder of the international tender to select an investor for the Anaklia deep-sea port project.
According to Georgia’s then-Minister of Economy, Levan Davitashvili, two consortiums had advanced to the second stage of the selection process: the Swiss–Luxembourg T.I.L Holding S.A. and the Chinese–Singaporean consortium Communications Construction Company Limited (China) & China Harbour Investment Pte. Ltd (Singapore). However, only the Chinese–Singaporean consortium submitted a proposal to the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Development Agency.
In response to a journalist’s question about whether the consortium could already be considered the winner of the tender, Davitashvili said that since the application had been fully completed, “there is a high likelihood that the commission will declare it the winner. A few clarifications are still needed, and I believe we will be able to announce the winner within a few days,” Davitashvili said.
Davitashvili also noted that the Chinese consortium’s subcontractors include China Road and Bridge Corporation and Qingdao Port International Co., Ltd.
He added that a joint company will be established with the private investor to build the port, in which the Georgian state will hold a 51% stake, while the private partner will own 49%.
On February 24, 2025, Batumelebi inquired with the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Development Agency whether a contract had been signed with the Chinese–Singaporean consortium. According to the response received on March 20, 2025, the selection process by the commission — including the formal decision and the declaration of the winning candidate — had not yet been completed.
No official announcement has been made since; however, as the tender was effectively concluded, the Chinese–Singaporean consortium has been regarded as the winner, with the formal declaration still pending.
It is noteworthy that the lead company of the Chinese-Singaporean consortium— China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) — is sanctioned in the United States, a fact the Ministry of Economy rejects as manipulative.
