PM Kvirikashvili speaks at Georgia-Germany business forum:
“Georgia is a safe haven situated in a place where companies can engage all markets”

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has opened a Georgia-Germany business forum in Berlin today.

The forum is being attended about 130 business representatives from both countries and promotes two main directions:

• The stable business environment in Georgia; and
• Investment opportunities in Georgia.

Georgian-German #business forum in Berlin.#Georgia has attractive business environment& #investment opportunities pic.twitter.com/frvuhBvKXg

— Giorgi Kvirikashvili (@KvirikashviliGi) June 15, 2016

PM Kvirikashvili delivered a comprehensive speech at the event covering Georgia’s political, economic and foreign priorities.

"Georgia has transformed itself from a country damaged by 70 years of totalitarian rule into a modern, democratic, and dynamic state.

"It is no exaggeration to say that we serve as a cornerstone of democratic values, stability, and progress in a difficult region,” Kvirikashvili told German business officials.

He noted in this "challenging period of steadfast reforms”, the people of Georgia were making hard sacrifices, adapting to a new world and committing to a constructive path for the future.

"And we are thankful to our friends in Germany, who have been important partners along our difficult journey,” the PM said.

He stressed Georgia was on a steady path to deepen its ties with the European Union (EU) and the Atlantic Alliance.

"A key milestone in our integration process into the EU will be visa liberalisation. Georgia has fulfilled all the criteria for visa liberalisation and now we await a final decision from the EU,” he added.

Georgia and Germany: Key figures

At the business forum Kvirikashvili expressed his satisfaction that Germany was among the top trading partners of Georgia, and German investments in Georgia was steadily on the rise.

The PM believed this reflected the growing role of Georgia as a regional economic and trade hub and investment destination.

He stressed Georgia’s ties with Germany were continuing to grow, adding bilateral trade in the first four months of 2016 amounted to $132 million.

Kvirikashvili said German Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Georgia was also growing, and said in the first quarter of this year German FDIs increased 77 percent compared to the same period of 2015.

"And as a sign of the growing tourism sector, more and more Germans are taking their holidays in Georgia. Over 36,000 German visitors came last year, and overall 230,000 Germans visited Georgia between 2005 and 2015,” Kvirikashvili said.

"What investors and tourists see in Georgia is a country that is stable, welcoming, and on the rise,” he added.

The Georgian leader believed his country’s success was rooted in three pillars – economic development, security, and democracy.

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili speaks at Georgia-Germany business forum in Berlin. Photo by PM's press office

Economic Development

Reviewing Georgia’s recent economic achievements, Kvirikashvili said Georgia was one of the easiest countries in which to do business, according to the World Bank. It had the ninth lowest tax burden in the world and all the major credit rating agencies considered Georgia stable.

"We believe that promoting internal economic development goes hand in hand with attracting investments. My government has adopted a Four Point Reform Agenda designed to ensure long-term sustainable development and inclusive growth,” he said.

Kvirikashvili noted that the Reforms Agenda covered growth-oriented reforms, including the tax system reform, capital markets development, pension reform, infrastructure modernisation, reform of the education system and good governance.

He stressed Georgia had historically played an important geostrategic role in the region, and it was no different today.

"Georgia has become a vital transit and energy corridor connecting East and West. Pipelines linking Caspian oil and gas fields to Turkey and Europe pass through Georgia, as well as new road and rail networks that make Georgia an important logistical hub,” the PM said.

He noted the further development of Georgia’s Black Sea ports, including the new Anaklia Deep Sea Port, strengthened Georgia’s position as a key player in the new Silk Road.

"Our role as a regional hub is drawing investors to Georgia.

"Given our ease of doing business, stability, and rule of law, as well as our generally cooperative relationships with all our neighbours and near-neighbours, we are an excellent jumping-off spot for doing business in the Caucasus, the Middle East, Turkey, or even Russia.”

"While the world may be forced into choosing sides between Russia and Turkey, Europe and Asia, Shia or Sunni, or even Arab and Israeli, Georgia remains a safe-haven situated in a place where companies can engage everyone.”

Security

Kvirikashvili made time to speak about Georgia’s security situation, where he highlighted the country’s relationship with its NATO allies was excellent.

"Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic choice, which is the will of Georgian people, is irreversible,” he said.

"We see cooperation with NATO as a return to the European family of nations where Georgia belongs. It represents progress toward a more secure future for all.”

Kvirikashvili mentioned that Georgia’s aspiration to join the democratic family of European nations was "falsely perceived as a threat” by its northern neighbour Russia.

"Russia’s concern is misplaced. Georgia’s membership in NATO will widen the zone of security and stability in Europe. And we know that a stable region is a precondition for economic prosperity,” he said.

The Georgian PM talked about his expectations for the July NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland and said Georgia needed a strong show of support from its allies.

And for Georgia it was essential the outcome of the Warsaw Summit was a clear-cut and evident step toward membership.

He believed the NATO Summit outcome should have two dimensions:

• Political support and reconfirmation of the irreversibility of Georgia’s integration process; and
• A deepening of practical cooperation.

Democracy

The final part of the PM’s speech was devoted to reviewing democracy in Georgia.

Kvirikashvili said in the past, the lack of an independent judiciary in Georgia was a challenge to the country’s democracy.

"Now, we are focused on building a depoliticized police force and the rule of law which applies equally all citizens,” he said.

He added Georgia had taken "consistent and decisive steps” to protect the judicial branch from political, financial, or any other influences, and it had ensured that the judges and prosecutor have life tenure and peer-to-peer regulatory oversight.

"We also firmly believe in freedom of expression and free media and have made substantial progress in this direction,” Kvirikashvili said, adding in 2015 the Freedom House rated Georgia as the leader in freedom of the press among the countries of the Eastern Partnership.

Kvirikashvili stressed Georgia’s commitment to freedom of expression will be crucial this year as the country looked ahead to the Parliamentary Elections in October.

"Since 2012 we have delivered free elections on a level playing field at both the local and presidential levels. We eagerly anticipate election monitoring this year as we work to ensure that the 2016 elections are the most transparent and fair in Georgia’s history,” he said.

Georgian businessmen noted at the forum that now, after the EU-Georgia economic and trade deal had come into force, greater opportunities had opened up for Georgian entrepreneurs and businessmen.

The business forum was the first event PM Kvirikashvili attended in the framework of his Germany visit. Later today the Georgian top official will meet high political leaders of Germany, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.