Speaking at an outdoor ceremony of opening a new terminal in port of Poti, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on October 24 that despite war, the present global financial crisis and deepening unemployment problem in recent months, now it is a turning point for Georgia’s economy, Civil Georgia reported. He mentioned about Georgia’s importance as a transit route. Georgia is the only route to Europe for six landlocked states in the Central and Caspian region and the shortest route from north China to most of the European destination, Saakashvili said. One can not bypass Georgia. Cargo should either go via Russia, but this route is risky, full of corruption and full of political risks; or the second option is a direct route via Georgia, he said.