Regional Workshop with Local Businessmen in Mtskheta

On 24 April 2017 a workshop was held in Mtskheta with local businessmen under the framework of the dialogue between the private and public sectors on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The participants included 40 local entrepreneurs and representatives of cooperatives, as well as representatives of local self-governing bodies and the Mtskheta-Mtianeti Governor’s Office.

Representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Office of the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, local governments, and Association Facility Programme discussed existing and planned state grant projects, challenges, prospects, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and other DCFTA-related issues.

Participants shared their experiences and emphasized the need for the government and donor organizations to assist entrepreneurs. They also discussed the role of business in the government’s regional policymaking.

Mr. Genadi Arveladze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, stated that taking these matters into account will significantly improve the quality of Georgian produce and its export potential on the EU market, as well as bolster the popularity of local products and services, increasing investments and creating additional jobs in the country.

During the last session of the workshop Mr. Genadi Arveladze and representatives of the European Union fielded questions from the business sector participants.

Meetings with private sector representatives regarding the DCFTA are being held across the country, with the aim to cover all regions of Georgia by the end of the 2017.