Georgian PM launches Tbilisi Silk Road Forum on 15 October

TBILISI, 9 October 2015 – Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili will open the two-day Tbilisi Silk Road Forum on 15 October, an initiative that he has conceived to promote the sharing of ideas, experiences and expertise along the revived Silk Road and beyond.

Organised by Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the Chinese Government, this inaugural event aims to establish a platform for an annual high-level gathering of interested states, businesses and international organisations in order to explore opportunities, align visions and enhance partnerships.

In hosting this Forum, Georgia is playing its traditional role of regional hub and center for exchange. Today, Georgia enjoys free trade with its neighbors as well as with the EU, and ranks 15th worldwide for ease of doing business.

Topics for debate will include: opportunities for enhancing trade and economic cooperation; transport and infrastructure; trade facilitation; pipelines and electricity trading across borders; and investment opportunities.

With around 300 participants registered, the Forum will feature some 30 high-level international speakers, in addition to Prime Minister Garibashvili, including: Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili; Czech Republic Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mladek; Afghanistan Economy Minister Abdul Sattar Murad; Kazakhstan First Vice Minister of Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek; Xuekerat Zakir, Governor of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China; U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce; Asian Development Bank Vice President Wencai Zhang; European Investment Bank Vice President László Baranyayinc; World Trade Organization Deputy Director-General David Shark; and Eva Molnar, Director of the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.