Economic conference Georgia and the World 2020 held in Tbilisi
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Thursday, February 27
An economic conference called Georgia and the World 2020 was held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Tbilisi. The conference was opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia.
The conference was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia for the second time under the auspices of the British magazine THE ECONOMIST Annual World 2020.
The honorable guest of this year's event was world-renowned economist, professor of Warsaw School of Economics, former Polish Deputy Prime Minister, former Minister of Finance and former President of the National Bank Leszek Balcerowicz.
During the conference, a panel was held, with a discussion on the following topics: the economic development model - a balance of interests between the public and private sectors of the economy's competitiveness in the global context, the role of infrastructure development and increasing competitiveness, Georgia on the EU market - achieved results and current challenges.
The panels were attended by Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava, Minister of Finance Ivane Machavariani, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Genadi Arveladze and other members of the Georgian government. Also, EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus, IMF Resident Representative in Georgia Selim Cakir and private sector representatives.
The participants discussed Georgia's progress, challenges and new opportunities.
The Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia underlined the importance of the conference and noted that it provides an open forum for all representatives, all stakeholders to have the opportunity to discuss, first and foremost, the challenges of the Georgian economy and the achievements.
The Prime Minister spoke about the free trade agreements signed and emphasized that Georgia is the only country that has a free trade regime with China, with the European Union and with all its neighbors.
At the conference panels, the following topics were discussed: Georgia's Model of Economic Development - Balanced Interests between State and Private Sector; Competitiveness of Georgian Economy in Global Context, Infrastructure Development and Role in Increasing Competitiveness; Georgia-EU market results and challenges.
The purpose of the event was to analyze the progress made by Georgia with the participation of representatives of different sectors of the economy in the context of global challenges and new opportunities.
