Georgia in Davos, Part 2: A Summary

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, participated in the World Economic Forum, which took place on January 21-24 in Davos, Switzerland. The Georgian delegation, led by Gakharia, consisted of Finance Minister Ivane Machavariani, the Prime Minister's Advisor on International Affairs Irakli Chikovani, and Economic Advisor Beka Liluashvili.

The Georgian delegation's working visit included meetings with heads of international financial institutions and the world's largest companies, including Siemens Energy, Camille Bloch, Coca-Cola, and OneWeb.

GEORGIA TODAY took a look at some of the most important moments of the last two days of the Forum.

PM Discusses energy opportunities with CEO of global operator in renewables

One of the world leaders in the field of renewable energy, ACCIONA is considering the possibility of developing wind and solar power stations in Georgia. As CEO of the company Rafael Mateo stated at a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in Davos, a company delegation has already visited Georgia to explore the available opportunities.

ACCIONA is a world leader in renewable energy and water management, operating in the five continents in 20 countries, exclusively in the renewable energy sector. The company is also involved in the production of wind turbine generators. ACCIONA's annual revenue is €7.5 billion and the company employs more than 38,000 people.

The head of the Georgian government informed the investor about the favorable investment environment in Georgia and the potential of development of renewable energy sources, noting that Georgia is a trustworthy and reliable partner, among the leading positions in the world in terms of ease of doing business.

Both sides emphasized the growing demand for electricity, responding to the emergence of new sources of world generation. The development of wind power projects, the country's rich hydro resources and the prospect of electricity transit, as well as Georgia's role as a transit hub in the region leading to the EU market, was also highlighted.

The ACCIONA delegation plans to continue negotiations with the Georgian government on the possible construction of 200 MW wind power plants in the country.

Swiss chocolate company to create hazelnut plantations in Georgia

We had already heard that Swiss chocolate producer Camille Bloch intends to create hazelnut plantations in Georgia and to use Georgian hazelnuts in the production of Ragusa, Swiss chocolate, and this was again confirmed when the Georgian PM and CEO of Camille Bloch, Daniel Bloch, met to discuss the details of the project at a meeting in Davos.

Camille Bloch produces 3,700 tons of chocolate per year. The annual revenue of the company is more than $45 million.

It wants to integrate new technologies in the hazelnut plantation field in Georgia, which itself will increase productivity.

Bloch has already registered the company in Georgia and chosen a 561 ha area in Lagodekhi municipality, eastern Georgia. It will employ up 40 people.

Opportunities in the EU for EaP countries

As part of his working visit to Davos, PM Gakharia participated in a panel discussion, with the representatives of the European Commission, on the opportunities Europe and the EU create for the Eastern Partnersip (EaP) countries.

He highlighted the tangible results of the last five years in Georgia's relationship with the EU, including a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, and visa-free travel.

“According to recent sociological surveys, more than 70% of Georgia's population supports Euro-Atlantic integration,” the PM said. “However, when it comes to economics, and when we think about making all our achievements accessible to ordinary citizens, we face the real problem of connectivity. This is our first priority. We consider Georgia a gateway to Europe and Central Asia. We fully understand that investment in the Georgian economy means the security of our country. When it comes to safety, we certainly see problems in the Black Sea. The Black Sea is a top priority not only for Georgia but also for the North Atlantic Alliance. This is a new dimension for us”.

Gakharia noted that Georgia needs more cooperation with the EU.

“In future relations between Europe and Georgia, we certainly understand that we can play a very important role in security, in particular, Black Sea security. After the developments in Crimea, we understand the importance of security in the Black Sea region. We need more cooperation with the EU and more emphasis on connectivity. This is our goal for the next few years,” he said.

He added that EU and NATO membership is the only guarantee for Georgia's security and Georgia is ready to do its “homework”.

“We believe this is our country's chance to get closer to the EU. Membership of the European Union and NATO is the only guarantee for our country's security. This is how we see the prospect of cooperation with Europe in Georgia. Of course, we will do our best for Georgia to always be a topic of discussion when you - our friends, talk about the future of Europe," he said.

The Georgian PM also highlighted the daily challenges Georgian citizens face regarding the occupation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Calls for Georgia’s NATO Membership

One of the most remarkable and memorable moments related to Georgia during the forum was the Turkish foreign minister’s call for the country’s NATO membership.

Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu called for the enlargement of NATO and the addition of Georgia to the body in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.

“I don’t understand why we have not invited Georgia, or we haven’t activated the action plan for Georgia to become a member,” Cavusoglu said during a panel discussion. “We are criticized for having relatively better relations with Russia as a neighbor, yet our western friends are not agreeing to invite Georgia because they don’t want to provoke Russia. Georgia needs us, and we need an ally like Georgia. So, we need enlargement and Georgia should be made a member,” the Turkish FM concluded.

PM Summarizes Davos Visit

“Davos is a format where business leaders and politicians, as well as civil society representatives, discuss global topical issues; we had important meetings with our counterparts, our European partners, where we discussed Georgia's European aspirations, the problem of occupation, and developments on the occupation line,” Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said when summing up his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, noting that Georgia should become a member of the EU, however, the country has some “homework” to do.

At the Eastern Partnership Summit scheduled for 2020, Georgia will present a concrete vision of how it sees the further process of EU integration, and these were the main topics the PM discussed with the Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Croatian presidents and prime ministers during WEF 2020.

“Our political partners appreciate the progress made in terms of democratization in Georgia; they say the upcoming elections should be exemplary, and that responsibility is absolutely clear to us,” the Prime Minister said. “We talked a lot about the security context, especially in the Black Sea, and Georgia can today make a significant contribution to the concept of European security. Our partners appreciate this, as well as the quality of Georgia's integration with NATO, and say that the results of 2019 in NATO-Georgia cooperation are truly impressive”.

Gakharia noted it is very important that transnational financial corporations positively assess the current financial situation in Georgia and the degree of financial sustainability of the country. He added that during the visit, specific conversations took place with companies interested in Georgia or whose entry into the country is of great importance.

“There was a meeting with the Vice President of Coca-Cola, who talked about specific investment plans and ongoing projects. Of course, we pledged our full support to new projects, as this is particularly important in terms of jobs. We also had a meeting with representatives of Citibank, where we discussed the sustainability and further development of the Georgian financial sector, and the reforms we are undertaking in that sector. It is very important how transnational financial corporations evaluate the current financial state of Georgia and the degree of our financial sustainability,” he said.

By Ana Dumbadze

27 January 2020 18:40