MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Organized by the Georgian and Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a joint Business Forum was held in Yerevan and over 150 Armenian and Georgian companies took part in the event. The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia and the Minister of Economic Development and Investment of Armenia Suren Karayan addressed the Forum participants. The Deputy Ministers of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Nino Javakhadze and Giorgi Cherkezishvili, Deputy CEO of the Partnership Fund Natia Turnava, the Head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Georgia Nino Chikovani and other officials also attended the Forum.

“We are partners, neighbors, good friends and it is the high time to focus all our efforts at our economic relations and do our best to make these relationships even closer and more effective. The statistics confirm the increase in the trade between our countries since 2017??? – this is a fact but we facilitate private companies of the two countries even more in order to enhance bilateral economic and trade relations” – Giorgi Gakharia stated in his speech at the Forum.

Giorgi Gakharia noted that a special working group was established at the level of the Economy Ministries of the two countries and its members will coordinate their work on the 24-hour basis in case any company, Armenian or Georgian, face any difficulties at the territory of the neighboring country or at the customs. “Our Deputy Ministers, at the level of our Ministries, will study the import structure of our countries and the point where we are able to help each other in terms of import. We will use this potential as it is already existing, ready-to-use potential for our markets” – Gakharia noted.

According to the Georgian Economy Minister, the parties started to work on a joint action plan aimed at opening of the joint ventures of the Georgian and Armenian companies and facilitating the process of accessing to the markets of the third parties. “We are ready to facilitate you in realization of products. Our main message is that your business will be protected by the State in our countries. Logistics, transport, industry, tourism, services – these are the sectors where joint projects are realistic to be implemented. It is your cooperation and joint aspiration to get access to the markets of the third countries which will be supported by the State” – Giorgi Gakharia addressed the business forum participants.

"I would like to emphasize a very productive meeting where together with the Minister of Economy of Georgia we discussed the whole spectrum of trade relations. We are ready to facilitate each other in order to increase the overall export volume to the third countries. I hope that today’s Business Forum will be very productive since over three hundred bilateral meetings will be held between the companies (B2B meetings) and I believe it will bring mutual economic benefit” – the Minister of Economic Development and Investment of the Republic of Armenia, Suren Karayan stated.

The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Cherkezishvili, the Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration Giorgi Chogovadze and the Deputy CEO of the Partnership Fund Natia Turnava introduced presentations at the Forum. Within the frames of the Forum, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Georgia and Armenia.