MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

The priority directions of future cooperation were discussed by Irakli Nadareishvili, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, with Olimjon Umarov, the First Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan. The meeting took place during the Georgian delegation’s working visit to Uzbekistan.   

At the meeting, the parties shared their experiences in innovation and technology development, startup funding, and digital transformation, including the development of public services.   

Irakli Nadareishvili focused on the decisions made regarding the development of artificial intelligence. “We are actively working to widely implement artificial intelligence capabilities for the country's economic transformation, in order to remain competitive in the rapidly developing digital world,” – the Deputy Minister noted. Nadareishvili provided his counterpart with information on the large-scale technology hub project in Kutaisi, where the launch of an artificial intelligence research competence center and an interactive science and technology museum is planned. Additionally, the establishment of an international creative technology center, which will be aimed at young people aged 12-18 and will include such areas as programming, animation, film, computer game development, graphic design, 3D modeling, robotics, and others.

According to Irakli Nadareishvili, the Kutaisi technology hub, where the largest technology park and other laboratories in the region will also be opened, will be a good platform for cooperation between Georgia and other countries in the region.

The parties also focused on the challenges related to startup support, particularly in improving access to finance. Among other things, they discussed attracting venture capital and introducing other financial instruments.

The meeting outlined areas of cooperation aimed at facilitating startup activities, which may include the development of joint investment funds between Georgia and Uzbekistan.

The visit also includes a visit to Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent. Additionally, the visit will include a meeting with the management of TEXNOPARK LLC, one of Uzbekistan’s largest industrial and engineering parks, during which priorities for attracting foreign investment and developing local entrepreneurship, as well as prospects for developing joint projects, will be discussed.