MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

 “We should be able to provide our customers with our own resources and be able to trade freely in the region,” – this is the statement by Natia Turvanava made for the media after the Conference on the Energy Security in the Caucasus Region at the Sheraton Hotel was over. Natia Turunava delivered a comprehensive speech and talked about the challenges and important directions related to the improving the awareness on energy issued in Georgia. 

“With the help of our strategic partners - the US Government and the USAID Energy Development Program, we discuss very topical issue of energy security. In this respect, we have traditional and new challenges to deal with. Traditional challenges are related to the regional challenges, geopolitics while the new challenges include the provision of the growing demand on electricity consumption with our own resources since there are controversial attitudes toward the construction of the HPPs among the Georgian society,” – Turnava noted.

Deputy Minister highlighted that the Strategy of the Government of Georgia is set up on two priorities – even more open market via better integration in the region and generating more opportunities for trade and transit. “This is very important, two aspects should be presented together. We must be able to provide customers with our own resources and have the opportunity to trade freely in the region,” – the Deputy Minister said.

The Conference – Energy Security in the Caucasus Region in Light of Market Opening was co-organized by the USAID Energy Program, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the International Energy Agency. Peter Wiebler, the USAID/Caucasus Director and the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Georgia, Radu-Liviu Horumba also welcomed conference participants. According to organizers of the Conference, the event will support the members of the Energy Security Working Group and high-level decision-makers to agree on certain issues and make the comprehensive decisions.