Interest in Tbilisi Silk Road Forum shows Georgia’s growing role in Black Sea region - Economy Minister
The Economy Minister said the Forum would cover issues including transport, perspectives of the Middle Corridor - a transportation route network connecting China with Europe via the South Caucasus region - as well as investment, trade, finance and other topics. Photo: Economy Ministry
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Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Thursday said the interest shown for this year’s Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event hosting more than 2,000 delegates and guests from up to 60 foreign states, was “extremely high” and added the event’s attraction indicated Georgia’s growing role in the Black Sea region.
In his comments Davitashvili noted the first edition of the Forum, initiated by the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, had been hosted in 2015, and noted interest towards the event was “extremely high” since the end of Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions that prevented its editions over the recent years.
Davitashvili said the Forum featured delegations from the United States, Middle East, China, Europe and other countries of the Black Sea region, adding a “very high level” of business activity could be seen at the event apart from the participation of “high-ranking” political officials.
Georgia - as a stable, interesting, dynamically developing economy - is attractive for investors. This is a favourable environment for investors. I am sure that there will be many successful deals between businesses within the framework of the Forum. There will also be very interesting discussions between politicians on various topics”, he noted.
The Economy Minister said the Forum would cover issues including transport, perspectives of the Middle Corridor - a transportation route network connecting China with Europe via the South Caucasus region - as well as investment, trade, finance and other topics.
Forum participants will discuss global economic challenges, ways to solve them, and aspects and perspectives of cooperation for connectivity. The first day of the biannual event will host 10 sessions, with day two used for discussion of Georgia's investment opportunities and B2B meetings.
Dritan Abazović, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, on Wednesday arrived in Georgia for featuring in the fourth edition of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event set to host thousands of representatives from 60 countries between Thursday and Friday.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Wednesday said the country’s capital Tbilisi was “ready” to host the fourth edition of Tbilisi Silk Forum “with honour”.
Erin Elizabeth McKee, the United States Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, will head the US delegation at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, set to run in the Georgian capital between Thursday and Friday.
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Genadi Arveladze on Friday opened an organisational centre to help organise the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event set to host thousands of representatives from 60 countries later this month, “at a high level”.
Zhou Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday said the Middle Corridor - a transportation route network connecting China with Europe through the South Caucasus region - was “important” for Georgia’s “prosperity”, and added Chinese companies were “interested in all infrastructure projects” in the country and ready to become involved in case of “beneficial conditions”.
Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, on Thursday arrived in Tbilisi with his delegation to open the fourth edition of the Silk Road Forum hosted in the Georgian capital along with counterparts from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Montenegro and the Vice President of the Asian Development Bank.
Dritan Abazović, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, on Thursday pledged his Government's support for Georgia’s European Union integration at the ongoing Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, which he opened with his Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts and the Vice President of the Asian Development Bank.
Robin Dunnigan, the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Thursday highlighted the importance of the fourth edition of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event hosting more than 2,000 delegates and guests from up to 60 foreign states in the Georgian capital.
Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian Prime Minister, highlighted the importance of peace at the ongoing Tbilisi Silk Road Forum by stressing it would be “very complicated to build any bridge” without it, and adding the South Caucasus region was in need of a “lasting peace”.
Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov on Thursday told the opening event of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum the development of port infrastructure and growth of civil cargo transportation would contribute to increasing the role of Azerbaijan and Georgia as both countries played an important transit role between Europe and Asia.
Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, on Thursday told a panel discussion within the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum that ties between Georgia and Gulf states had been “deepened”.
Charles J. Cormier, the Regional Director for Infrastructure for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank, on Tuesday said Georgia had the potential to become a centre not only for trade but also for production of goods.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday told the opening event of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum the country understood the “cost of war” and recognised the “value of peace”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday told Tbilisi Silk Road Forum that the international event that has brought together more than 2,000 delegates from 63 foreign states to discuss trade and connectivity in the Georgian capital was an “important opportunity” to promote the country’s progress in recent years.
The Georgian National Tourism Administration is hosting a promotional tour of the country for the representatives of the international media from the United States, Spain, Bulgaria, Qatar and India, who attended the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum this week, the Administration said on Saturday.