Georgia, Qatar to launch free trade agreement talks, says Georgian First Vice PM

Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, on Wednesday said Georgia and Qatar had agreed to launch talks on a Free Trade Agreement following a high-level meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani.

The officials discussed a wide range of economic cooperation topics, including investment, energy, tourism, transport, and communications.

“During the meeting with the Qatari Minister of Commerce and Industry, we discussed key areas of economic cooperation. At a practical level, we agreed that existing agreements between the two countries must be implemented, and a specific format will be created for that purpose. Throughout the year, we will have business delegation visits between Georgia and Qatar to further deepen our trade and economic relations. Importantly, we reached a decision to begin negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with Qatar - similar to the one we already have with the United Arab Emirates. This will be a separate bilateral format, not a regional FTA with all Gulf countries”, Davitashvili said.

Negotiations are expected to begin later this year, possibly within the framework of the 5th Silk Road Forum to be held in Tbilisi on October 22–23.

“This will certainly provide an additional incentive to deepen our economic cooperation. We hope the Qatari delegation will visit Georgia and that specific negotiations will take place during the Silk Road International Forum. All of this will undoubtedly strengthen economic ties between our two countries,” the Minister noted.

The announcement was made as part of Georgia’s participation in the 5th Qatar Economic Forum, held under the patronage of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and supported by Bloomberg. The event gathered over 2,500 global leaders.