MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Tbilisi Silk Road Forum 2023 with the main theme “connectivity” was held in Georgia for the fourth time - the opening ceremony of the event took place on October 26 at the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre with the participation of the Prime Ministers of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Montenegro.

The Silk Road Forum, founded in 2015 by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, has become an international brand and an important political-economic platform.

Irakli Gharibashvili gave a speech at the opening of the Forum and talked about important political and economic issues of regional and global importance.

“Nine years ago, at the United Nations General Assembly, I conceptualized the significance of the Silk Road and the importance of collaborative efforts required to harness its potential. In just one short year, in 2015, I brought the first Silk Road Forum to the heart of Tbilisi. Since then, our nation has been steadily building upon this legacy and today there is no doubt that Georgia has become an integral part of East-West exchanges,” – the Prime Minister said.

In their speeches, the keynote speakers of the opening panel of the Forum talked about the historical importance of the Silk Road, the development and usefulness of the Middle Corridor, the challenges existing between the countries of the region and the world, and the need for cooperation between the countries and the partnerships in various directions.

“Interest in the Silk Road Forum has increased especially in 2023. This indicates that, in general, the role of Georgia in the region is increasing – Georgia as a stable, interesting, dynamically developing economy is attractive to investors. The Forum is a very good platform where political leaders meet representatives of international financial organizations and businesses. As a rule, such a platform does not exist during other formats, where we can discuss relevant, important issues, raise specific problems and agree on a solution,” – Levan Davitashvili noted while summarizing the main panels of the Forum.

As the Minister noted, the development of the Middle Corridor, in which many countries participate, provides a reason for great optimism.

“We are talking about a very precise plan of action that will be updated regularly and in the end we will be a very competitive route indeed. This is the shortest route that connects Asia to Europe, and if the prices are acceptable, if the situation in this corridor is predictable, of course we can attract more customers in the end. It is important to find more partners and become reliable partner for them as well,” – the Minister of Economy stated.

The second working day of the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum was opened with the welcoming speech of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili. In his speech, Davitashvili highlighted several key points, including the cooperation between the countries and the jointly use of new opportunities when dealing with the challenges, as well as the adoption of effective joint solutions that will contribute to the growth of the regional and global economies.

According to the Vice Prime Minister, all countries are trying to develop a favourable, predictable, business-friendly economy, and Georgia is also following this path. As the minister noted, over time the country has become a stable, safe, reliable, and attractive partner, including for foreign investors.

Vice Prime Minister emphasized that all the nations strive to develop favourable, predictable, and business-friendly economies, and this is the path that Georgia has also been pursuing. Over time, Georgia has matured to be a stable, secure, and trustworthy partner, including for foreign investors. 

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development informed the delegates of the Forum about the steps taken as well as the ongoing reforms implemented by the Georgian Government in the process of creating an attractive investment environment in Georgia.

“Our positive economic trajectory is the result of well-devised macroeconomic policies, a set of strategic reforms, and our ambition to align Georgia’s regulatory framework with the EU. On this path, we have made it a priority to be attractive and welcoming to foreign investors, and as you might be aware, today Georgia holds the 8th position in the OECD's least restrictive FDI countries index. Although we recognize that reforms are not the final destination but an ongoing process, and acknowledging the desire to further refine our legal framework,” – Vice Prime Minister stated.

The Vice Prime Minister introduced the trends and dynamics of development in Georgia’s investment, tourism, trade, energy, IT sectors to the participants of the Forum.

“We are strengthening ties with potential investors, B2B and B2G are meetings planned within the Forum, we hope that investment perspectives will be discussed and potential cooperation opportunities will be revealed. On behalf of the Government of Georgia, I once again express our readiness to work side by side to ensure sustainable, durable and dynamic growth,” – the Minister of Economy noted.

Tbilisi Silk Road Forum 2023 was attended by an unprecedentedly large number of guests – over 2 000 delegates from more than 60 countries of the world. The high-level event, which took place over two days in several locations, discussed important issues of trade, transport, energy, investment, tourism, communications and financial technologies.

Prime Ministers of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Montenegro addressed the audience at the opening of the Forum. In addition, high-ranking representatives of the Governments of European and Asian countries participated in other panel sessions, including: the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, the Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia, the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan and others.

Representatives of diplomatic corps and international financial and donor organizations (the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank, the US Agency for International Development, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, the European Air Navigation Safety Organization International Maritime Organization and others) as well as heads of international corporations and experts of international rank also participated in the Silk Road Forum 2023. The moderators of the sessions were the leading journalists of the BBC, Bloomberg, and the Deutsche Welle. About 200 local and foreign journalists covered the event.

Within the framework of the Forum over 250 B2B meetings were held with the participation of the private sector.