Economy Minister Turnava met with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Wednesday, February 19
Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava met with the Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia, who is in Georgia. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Genadi Arveladze, Georgian Ambassador to Malaysia Nikoloz Abkhazia and Honorary Consul of Malaysia to Georgia Jemal Inaishvili.
The meeting noted that such a high-level visit from Malaysia had not been made for a long time and thus, it was very important for the development of bilateral relations. The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia expressed hope that the visit would encourage bilateral relations and other high-level visits, as there is a huge potential for boosting trade and economic cooperation between Malaysia and Georgia.
Turnava briefed the guests on Georgia's economic trends and ongoing and planned reforms. Particular emphasis was placed on Georgia's success in authoritative international ratings, such as the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2020, which ranks Georgia 7th out of 190 countries.
The meeting focused on the priority areas that will promote the deepening of cooperation between Georgia and Malaysia. Directions such as transport and logistics, trade, tourism, education, and others were named among priorities.
It was highlighted that the Malaysian market is attractive for Georgian products. At the same time, the Malaysian side expressed interest in the effectiveness of the free trade agreements that Georgia has with the European Union, China, the CIS space and other countries.
The parties agreed to pay more attention to the implementation of joint economic projects, including the promotion of business ties between Georgia and Malaysia and the holding of trade missions and business meetings in both countries.
Georgia and Malaysia established diplomatic relations in 1993 and have enjoyed a growing and mutually beneficial cooperation ever since. As Georgia is becoming one of the most appealing and advantageous countries for foreign investments in the sectors of energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and tourism, among others, the relations between Georgia and Malaysia are becoming more active.
Nikoloz Apkhazava has been the Ambassador of Georgia to Malaysia since 2017.
