INTERVIEW: Tamara Beruchashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to the UK
Ambassador Beruchashvili visited Georgia last week to attend the third annual Wardrop Dialogues. GEORGIA TODAY had the opportunity to meet her for an EXCLUSIVE interview regarding UK-Georgia relations in the business, culture and social spheres.
The Wardrop Dialogue
Both the visit of Minister Duncan last week and of Chancellor Hammond in March demonstrated our shared values and interests. We are alike not only because we contribute to global security, have our soldiers fighting shoulder to shoulder with other nationalities in Afghanistan, but also because we are contributing to EU energy security consolidation and expansion of democracy in the region- through the good support of the UK. Through the visits of these two prestigious gentlemen to Georgia, we were able to upgrade our level of partnership to ‘strategic’ and to show the success of our joint efforts. Such occasions also give our politicians a stronger voice to show that Georgia is a country that delivers; a reliable, solid partner, important for the region and the wider interests of the UK.
Our visit to the BP pipeline on the last day of the talks was beneficial in showing how important British investment is in Georgia in terms of generating jobs, putting Georgia on the map of energy projects, developing important knowledge of doing-business and introducing new technologies. Another example is the British Medical Journal which, funded by the US government, is upgrading the knowledge of Georgian medical professionals through an online program now open to 500 medical professionals, with ideas to expand it to cover around 3000.
Brexit
In the wake of Brexit, the UK will be forging new partnerships globally, and Georgia is willing, ready and committed to developing a deeper and wider partnership, as we very clearly stated during the Wardrop Dialogue. I believe Georgia could be one of the first to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the new post-Brexit UK. Britain is a creative country and it needs to be so now more than ever in order to successfully navigate the complexities and challenges ahead.
People-to-people contacts
People-to-people contacts are a new priority direction highlighted in the latest Wardrop Dialogue. We already have initiatives going regarding defence and security, trade and economics, and the cultural and social spheres. We’re hoping to expand the activities of the British Council and to get more out of the Chevening Scholarships; investing in the development of human resources.
We decided to do more, jointly, on Twinning cities. 2018 will be the 30th anniversary of the twinning of Tbilisi-Bristol, and I have been back and forth to meet business persons and university representatives to explore the different dimensions of Twinnings, which includes trade and commerce. The new Mayor of Bristol is very business-minded, and together we are already organizing to bring the local Trades Guild to Georgia next year in preparation for the 30th anniversary events- our embassy will be very much involved.
I’m looking into organizing a Memorandum of Understanding between Ilia, TSU and Bristol universities for exchanges and joint research projects. I’m particularly interested in working with the innovation-oriented University of West England in Bristol which is very attractive in terms of its developing Tech Parks.
On that theme, the Georgian Innovation Technology Agency (GITA) will soon be holding a meeting with Innovate UK, which works with people, companies and partner organizations to find and drive science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. We aim to present the activities of our embassy and to gain something from the vast UK experience in terms of developing an appropriate legal framework to promote and support innovation; to utilize the UK know-how to benefit the ongoing process in Georgia.
2018 will see the 25 year anniversary of Georgia-UK diplomatic relations and we are busy trying to organize various promotional visits and exchanges. The President of Georgia will be going to London next year with the aim of mobilizing both governments and investors. We wish to activate the chambers of commerce and the business community, especially those already on the London Stock Exchange, to work on these intensified relations with the UK and to present themselves as success stories of Georgia. The Mayor of London is set to come to Georgia next July as an Ambassador of Business, exploring opportunities for British businesses within a regional tour which includes Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan- with Georgia as the logical regional hub between the EU and Asia.
Cultural activities
We are also building a busy cultural calendar. In January we’ll be celebrating the jubilee of famed Georgian conductor Kancheli with a concert by the London Philharmonic. Katie Melua and the Gori choir have sell-out concerts in December. We want to get involved with the Fringe Festival which is celebrating 70 years- Georgia was involved in the 90s and we want to put Georgia in the spotlight there.
The embassy has established regular contact with the London Georgian Church- it is a meeting place for the diaspora. This year a Tbilisoba event there gathered Georgians and foreign guests in true Georgian spirit. The church runs a Georgian school and we try to support it, with Gela Dumbadze, former Georgian Minister of Diaspora, having helped in the past by providing books.
There has been around a 10% increase in UK tourists coming to Georgia and in the past seven months we have seen a 50% increase in trade over last year and a 44% increase in wine export to the UK- this alone promotes Georgia as a country for wine tourism. The embassy holds monthly Wine Tables (round table talks over locally made Khachapuri and Georgian wine) to discuss issues, initiatives and developments, and promote our wine. Wine is also to be promoted at a number of upcoming events, as are Georgian handicrafts.
Looking to the EU
The Georgians, by supporting those parties in the parliamentary elections which have a clear pro-European stance, have demonstrated their unwavering desire to move in a European direction- not because they want to please Brussels, but because these are the reforms and developments we want. I believe the Georgian people have a good understanding of that, and we know that no magic wand exists to make it happen any faster. That said, I do believe the visa liberalization (VLAP) needs to happen as soon as possible. There is a new generation that is benefitting from having been wholly or partly educated abroad, returning to their homeland as more efficient and open-minded people- there’s a generational mental shift and a growing need for more interaction and engagement through exchange opportunities and joint projects. Visa liberalization with Europe would enable Georgian youth to expand their horizons. The UK visa is the most expensive and difficult to get and the Georgian Prime Minister is on the case, having suggested a mechanism be formed to avoid, for example, cases where a Georgian student gets UK funding but still has visa issues.
A bright future, a vision shared
The Georgian government needs to be more service-oriented, offering business services to legal entities and not only individuals. Georgia is on par with the UK in its priorities- in the Action Plan recently announced by Chancellor Hammond, the UK has a focus on productivity, innovation, infrastructure development, and attaining new knowledge for employment opportunities. These are the trends in Georgia at the moment.
My dream is to get HRH Prince Charles over to Georgia. He has an understandably tight schedule but I know he was gifted a calendar of the Georgian mountains recently so he will undoubtedly be inspired- it’s one of many projects I will persist optimistically on with!
Katie Ruth Davies