Georgian, Saudi ministers meet in Tbilisi to strengthen trade, economic, tourism ties

Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, and Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, on Friday met to discuss enhancing trade and economic relations between the two countries.

The meeting, held as part of World Tourism Day event in Tbilisi, also drew attention to further collaboration in trade, with the Georgian Minister expressing interest in commencing negotiations on free trade with member states of the Cooperation Council of Arab States of the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia.

The meeting also underscored the increasing engagement between the business communities of the two countries. Both sides recognised the role played by the Georgia-Saudi Business Council in fostering stronger business ties through the organisation of regular business forums.

The fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the tourism and civil aviation sectors was also highlighted, with a notable surge in the number of direct flights and visitors from Saudi Arabia to Georgia that saw the first half of the year witness a 44 percent increase in visitors from Saudi Arabia compared to the same period in the previous year.

Following the meeting, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in tourism was signed between the ministries of the two countries for coordinated efforts to ensure sustainable development of the tourism industry in both countries, exchange of information and best practices, promotion of participation in tourism-related events, information sharing on investment packages, promotional activities, and mutual exchange of experts in the field.