PM: Govt' Does Everything to Create Special Business Environment in Georgia
Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia, who opened the Economic Conference 'Georgia and the World 2020' this morning, said in his opening remarks that the government is doing its best to create a special business environment in the country. He added that a service-oriented economy is Georgia's future.
"The cornerstone of our economy is free business, a vibrant Georgian business that creates jobs. We are not interested in talking only about the achievements of the government. It is in our interest to talk more about the achievements of Georgian business because we all understand that the basis of our economy is a free business. The systematic challenge of our economy is to create additional jobs. However, it is impossible to achieve serious results without a balanced relationship and policy between the private sector and the state interests.
"Given that we have such a large-scale and global title today at our conference, 'Georgia and the World 2020,' in economic terms, we should certainly emphasize that we consider our country as an economically powerful platform that supplies large economies with services,” he said.
The head of government underlined the importance of the Conference and noted that it represents an open platform for all representatives and stakeholders and gives them the opportunity to discuss, first and foremost, the challenges of the Georgian economy and hence the achievements.
The Prime Minister spoke about the signed free trade agreements and emphasized that Georgia is the only country that has a free trade regime with China, the European Union and all its neighbors.
“Georgia deliberately carries out a series of free trade agreements. It is the only country with a free trade regime with both China and the European Union and with all our neighbors. We are already in active negotiations mode with Israel as well as India and we will soon have a very strong portfolio of free trade regimes.
"We all understand that Georgia is a small market, but nevertheless we want the country to become a platform, a hub for trade, business activism, and investment services in large economies. That is why we are creating a strong package of free trade regimes,” the Prime Minister noted.
Gakharia emphasized that the Government of Georgia spares no effort to create a special business climate in all spheres, especially in the service sector.
“First of all, the Government of Georgia is committed to creating a special business environment in the country, a special business climate to attract foreign investments in all directions, especially in the field of service. We all understand that it takes many years. It needs a high level of competence. The service-oriented economy is the future of our country, that is why conferences like this are so important for us all. It is important for the business sector, the experts' community, and the government, to find the exact role of the country in both global and regional contexts," Gakharia said.
He further noted that Georgia's aspiration is Euro-Atlantic integration and the creation of a competitive market.
"Today, Georgia is a transit country, the main aspiration of which in political terms is Euro-Atlantic integration and, in economic terms, an open, competitive market," PM concluded.
Economic conference 'Georgia and the World 2020' is underway in Tbilisi.
The Conference, organized by The Economist’s annual edition 'The World in 2020' and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, is being held for the second time.
About 200 participants and guests are attending the event this year, including world-renowned economist, Professor of Warsaw School of Economics, former Polish Vice-premier, former Finance Minister and former President of the National Bank of Poland Leszek Balcerowicz.
By Ana Dumbadze
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