Georgian PM meets WB Regional Director for the South Caucasus

By Khatia Bzhalava

Tuesday, April 6

World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili

“I was very pleased to see the Government's commitment to ongoing structural reforms in several key sectors, including agriculture, education, healthcare, human capital,” said the World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus after the meeting.

Yesterday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili met with World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus. The key issues discussed at the meeting were the successful cooperation between Georgia and the World Bank, the WB’s support provided for Georgia through the pandemic, and current as well as upcoming projects. “We had a very good discussion around economic development and how to continue to advance Georgia's economic reforms,” said Molineus after the meeting.

The conversation touched upon the World Bank's assistance and immediate responses to the needs of Georgia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Molineus underscored the World Bank’s efforts to ensure that Georgian citizens remain safe from a potential third wave and stressed the need to accelerate the introduction of additional doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Georgia.

Gharibashvili thanked Molineus for the ‘effective and productive cooperation that has benefited various sectors of the economy. WB has allocated funds for numerous projects, amounting to over $2.7 billion.

As the PM remarked, the World Bank’s initiative to finance road projects and energy and agriculture sectors is crucial for the development of the country. According to Gharibashvili, the Georgian Government appreciates the current portfolio of the World Bank, which consists of 12 active investment and development projects totaling $ 928 million.

The WB Regional Director for the South Caucasus said he was pleased to see the Government's commitment to ongoing structural reforms in several key areas, including agriculture, education, healthcare, and human capital. According to Molineus, human capital is one of the main driving forces. He stressed that the WB would support the Georgian government in this direction and would contribute to this process by providing appropriate diagnostic analysis and tools for its implementation.

The WB Regional Director for the South Caucasus congratulated Gharbashvili on his appointment as Prime Minister and wished him success.