Ministry of Economy of Georgia holds an online meeting with the U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade

By Khatia Bzhalava

Tuesday, October 6

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Genadi Arveladze, and Georgian ambassador to the US, Davit Bakradze also participated in the online meeting.

It was noted during the meeting that at the initiative of the Georgian side, a survey had been conducted, which showed that concluding a free trade agreement between Georgia and the US would be beneficial for both countries.

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Natia Turnava held an online meeting with the U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, Joseph Semsar. According to the press center of the ministry, the sides talked about bilateral trade relations and future plans of strategic partnership.

During the meeting, it was pointed out that the US is the major strategic partner and ally for Georgia and its support and projects over the years have greatly contributed to Georgia’s democratic development and the establishment of a free market economy.

As the Minister of Economy of Georgia stated after the meeting, Georgian and American sides hold regular High-Level Dialogues respecting various economic and trade topics. In this regard, Turnava pointed out the ongoing discussions within the frameworks of High-Level Dialogues as well as meetings of the economic working group established under the US-Georgia Charter of Strategic Partnership, during which, parties thoroughly discuss reforms implemented in Georgia and future partnership plans.

According to the Minister, during the meeting, they discussed the importance of the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the two countries. Turnava stated that the US-Georgia free trade agreement would be a mixture of political and economic interests, also a clear signal of increasing US economic curiosity in the region, which would facilitate Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and economic development, including the need for trade diversification.

“There is a special format, within the framework of which, further dialogue and discussion on the future agreement are possible. We had a request, which was shared quite positively (by American side), to accelerate and activate this process, despite the global pandemic,” noted Turnava after the online meeting.

As the Ministry informs, the sides also discussed how the Georgian government handled the pandemic situation. According to Turnava, the American side positively estimated the timely measures taken by Georgia against the pandemic and called them ‘effective’.