MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

“Today’s meeting is another confirmation of our partnership and emphasizes all important areas of cooperation, including the development of bilateral trade, cooperation in the fields of transport, tourism and communications. I am deeply convinced that this will undoubtedly be another step forward in the growth of economic cooperation between our countries,” – Levan Davitashvili said at the 10th meeting of the Georgia-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Tashkent.

At the commission meeting, co-chaired by Georgia’s First Vice Prime Minister, Levan Davitashvili, and Uzbekistan’s Vice Prime Minister, Jamshid Khodjaev, the main directions of economic cooperation between the two countries, the potential for further deepening of the partnership, and the opportunities that Georgia and Uzbekistan have, including in transport, tourism, trade, information technology and other important areas, were discussed. Within the framework of the commission, the parties also discussed the creation of a joint trade and economic working group and the issues of increasing direct flights between the two countries.

“Given the existing challenges, our countries have a lot to do to improve their social and economic indicators through close cooperation. High-level visits clearly establish trends in deepening cooperation between our countries. Due to its strategic location, Georgia has unique opportunities for any country to provide access from Europe to the economic space of Central Asia and the Far East” – Levan Davitashvili said.

The First Vice Prime Minister also spoke about Georgia’s major transport and infrastructure projects, including the construction of the East-West Highway, railway modernization, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway project.

“We expect that in the coming years we will be able to maintain the positive dynamics in the transport sector. In 2024, the number of passengers transported as a result of direct regular flights between Georgia and Uzbekistan increased by 33%. It should also be emphasized that we have significant growth in the volume of cargo transported by both road and rail transport. In general, the role and recognition of Georgia as a transit corridor has significantly increased, as it has a competitive advantage in terms of providing access to a number of markets, and Georgia plays an important role in the diversification of transport routes,” – the Minister of Economy stated.

The commission meeting also discussed issues of deepening cooperation in the field of communications and information technology, including the development of broadband infrastructure and 5G networks, harmonization of frequency resources and technical conditions, artificial intelligence, innovation and other issues that contribute to the development of the digital economy and information society.

“One of the most important leading sectors of the Georgian economy is tourism, and Uzbekistan is one of the interesting tourist markets for Georgia with a trend of increasing visitors in recent years, and it is very important to continue bilateral cooperation aimed at further strengthening our relations in this area,” – the First Vice Prime Minister said.

The 10th meeting of the Georgia-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was held within the framework of the official visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, to the Republic of Uzbekistan. Along with Levan Davitashvili, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Davit Songhulashvili, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Irakli Karseladze, and other high-ranking representatives of the Georgian government delegation participated in the commission meeting.