DOI: 10.46340/eppd.2026.13.2.7
Ketevan Gigilashvili, PhD student in International Relations
Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Irina Mikava, PhD student in International Relations
Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
How to cite: Gigilashvili, K., & Mikava, I. (2026). Beyond the Horizon: Anaklia as a Force Multiplier in Nato’s Black Sea Security. Evropský politický a právní diskurz, 13, 2, 77-84. https://doi.org/10.46340/eppd.2026.13.2.7
Abstract
This article analyzes how the Anaklia Port factor will strengthen Georgia’s role both on a regional scale and within the Western interests context. The paper develops the idea that the successful completion of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project is indispensable for the long-term strategic viability and security of the Black Sea region. Positioned at a critical geopolitical crossroads on the eastern flank of Europe, the Port’s significance transcends economic utility; it constitutes a pivotal element of Euro-Atlantic security architecture. The Port will play a central role in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), offering a vital, Russia-bypassing conduit for trade and energy transmission between Europe and Asia (Rodarte, 2023). For NATO, Anaklia represents a crucial logistical nexus that would significantly enhance the Alliance’s ability to reinforce its eastern presence, ensuring the rapid deployment and sustainment of forces in the highly contested Black Sea region (World Bank, 2024). In the conditions of modern hyper-competition, international transport corridors are leading instruments of economic and geopolitical strategy, among which the Black Sea region plays a solid role, with its geographical location, which historically has been and remains a bridge connecting Europe and Asia. It is clearly considered a vital transit hub, situated at the intersection of the strategic interests of the US, the European Union, NATO, Russia, Turkey, and China. For its part, it is crucial for Georgia to improve its transit infrastructure, with the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project serving as the primary means of achieving this goal. It openly presents Georgia’s role in the development of the Europe-Asia transport infrastructure. Furthermore, there are several major maritime ports in Black Sea basin that play an important role across the region, such as: Constanta (Romania), Varna (Bulgaria), Odesa (Ukraine), Novorossiysk (Russia), Samsun and Trabzon (Turkey), Batumi, Poti, and Anaklia (future) (Georgia) (Shalikadze, 2025).
Keywords: Black Sea Security, Anaklia Port, Georgia, NATO, Geopolitics, Regional stability.
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