MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili met with the Ambassador of Japan to Georgia, Ishizuka Hideki. Deputy Minister Genadi Arveladze also attended the meeting.

Mariam Kvrivishvili thanked the Japanese side for supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the assistance Japan has provided to Georgia since its independence.

The meeting discussed priority areas of trade and economic relations between Georgia and Japan. Positive trends in bilateral economic ties were noted, which have emerged since the entry into force of the Agreement on the Mutual Protection of Investments between Georgia and Japan. At the same time, it was emphasized that there is great potential for economic cooperation, including in the sectors of trade, energy, transport and logistics, information technology, tourism, civil aviation, maritime transport, investments, etc.

The existence of an effective platform for discussing economic issues between the countries in the form of an Intergovernmental Economic Commission was also highlighted. Within its framework, it would be possible to promptly resolve all priority economic issues between Georgia and Japan. As noted, the Georgian side has already submitted a draft agreement on economic cooperation to the relevant Japanese agency, which envisages the establishment of the commission.

Special attention was paid to the importance of signing a free trade agreement with Japan. It was noted that Japan is an important economic partner for Georgia, and the existence of such an agreement would contribute to further deepening economic ties.

The meeting also discussed the importance of launching direct air traffic between Georgia and Japan, which will promote the development of cooperation between the countries, especially in the field of tourism. Attention was also paid to the issue of signing an agreement on cooperation in the field of civil aviation.