Minister of Economy meets with the Ambassador of Israel

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava has met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Georgia, Ran Gidor, who has been holding this post since January 2020. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Genadi Arveladze.

The meeting focused on the trade-economic relations of the two countries and priority directions of future cooperation. It was noted that bilateral cooperation between Israel and Georgia in all key areas, especially in the fields of economy, agriculture, culture, education, and inter-ethnic relations, has been actively developing lately.

It was said that it is important for Georgia to further develop partnerships with Israel, which is particularly relevant in the context of centuries-old friendship between the Georgian and Jewish peoples.

Speaking about bilateral trade, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development said that the current level of bilateral trade between the two countries does not reflect the great trade potential that exists between the two countries.

According to her, signing a free trade agreement would be an important step towards the development of trade relations between Georgia and Israel, thus the timely opening of negotiations would bring the economic relations of the two countries to a new level and bring mutually beneficial results. It was noted at the meeting that the final stage is the development of a joint study on the feasibility of free trade between the two countries.

They also focused on cooperation in the fields of investment, innovation, transport, and tourism.

It was said that the growth of tourist flows from Israel was facilitated by the development of direct air services. In particular, as noted at the meeting, the airlines of both countries fly between Georgia and Israel with 42 frequencies per week.

At the end of the meeting, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava wished the Israeli ambassador success in the future activities and development of relations between the two countries.

Before his appointment as the Ambassador of Israel in Georgia, Ran Gidor served in the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. Ran Gidor has replaced Shabtai Tsur, who has served in the role since 2016.