Georgia shows biggest improvement, says EBRD Director

Georgia’s significant democratic improvement has seen the country chosen to host the annual meeting of an international investment bank, which uses investment as a tool to help build market economies.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will hold its 24^th annual meeting of the Board of Governors and Business Forum in Tbilisi on May 14-15, 2015.

"Many have expressed their desire to host the annual EBRD meeting but we chose Georgia,” ERDB director Bruno Balvanera announced at a joint press-conference with Georgian Minister of Finance Nodar Khaduri today.

Balvanera noted it was "very important” to hold the meeting in the Caucasus region and Georgia was the country that was able to offer appropriate conditions.

"In addition, this is a way to recognize Georgia’s achievements. Georgia is the number one reformer and democratic country, who has changed Government by peaceful means,” he added.

At the press conference, Balvanera said Georgia had made "a serious commitment” and shown its readiness to take part in business relations with ERDB to the next level. He said the meeting would be a good opportunity for business development in Georgia.

The 2015 ERBD Annual Meeting was planned to be held in London but the United Kingdom were not prepared to host the event.

The announcement of Georgia as the 2015 host nation was made after a meeting between Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 24.

The EBRD Annual Meeting is an institutional event where key decisions are made about the Bank’s direction. The EBRD also holds a business forum that offers debate, networking with senior decision-makers, investment outlook sessions and other events focusing on countries where the Bank invested.

The EBRD was founded in 1991 to help its member countries on the path to democracy and the market economy. It is now active in 34 nations. In 2012 it added Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia to the regions in which it invested.