Govt’s 3-year progress report sees Georgia as vital link between Europe and Asia

A forward-looking nation with strong connections with the international community. This is how Georgia has been described in a new three-year progress report of the Georgian Government.

The report, published today, said the comprehensive reform agenda launched by the Georgian Dream Government since 2013 had transformed the country into a forward-looking nation with ever stronger connections with the international community.

• Taking stock of three years of strenuous efforts, the Government’s 2016 progress report registered significant improvements in a wide range of areas – from foreign policy and economic growth to social standards and democracy.

Over the past three years Georgia succeeded in signing and implementing an Association Agreement (AA) and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the European Union (EU), recently moving to the next step towards visa liberalisation having met and surpassed all benchmarks required by the EU.

In parallel, the country significantly expanded its web of free trade deals with neighbouring and strategic countries and became a ‘hub’ for the newly revived Silk Road. The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an annual fixture launched last October, embodied the Government’s commitment to embracing this role, the 58-page report said.

"Georgia has taken on a new role as a vital link between Europe and Asia,” the document read.

Internally, ambitious institutional reforms, as stated in the report, overhauled judicial and electoral procedures and brought significant improvements to citizens’ rights and living conditions. The country increasingly aligned with international standards of democracy and rule of law.

"The new culture of governance in Georgia sets Georgia’s citizens as a priority: the Government listens to their needs and strives to develop responsive policies,” the report said.

Read the full progress report below.