Saakashvili promises to build ferry sites in Odessa to ship cargoes bypassing Russia

KIEV, June 9. /TASS/. Governor of Ukraine’s Black Sea Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili has promised to build ferry sites to ship cargoes from the East to Europe bypassing Russia.

"It takes 30 days to ship cargoes across Russia. Transportation of cargoes via Azerbaijan, via the Georgian port city of Poti to Odessa takes nine days. To re-direct business here it is necessary to, first, reduce tariffs. They are too high. Second, ferry lines, logistics centres are needed," Odessa’s website quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

Saakashvili says he knows "investors who will build ferries and transport cargoes", but they want to be sure that region has been cleansed of corruption.

Georgian ex-president becomes governor of south Ukraine's Odessa region

Mikheil Saakashvili was Georgia’s President from January 2004 to November 2013. He left his country in mid-November 2013, days before the expiration of his presidential term and the inauguration of President Georgy Margvelashvili on November 17, 2013. After his departure from Georgia, Saakashvili stayed in the United States and Ukraine. In recent months, he has been in Kiev working in the rank of the International Reform Council chief. On May 30, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili governor of the Odessa region and granted Ukrainian citizenship.

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