Georgian Economy Minister stresses importance of dialogue, objective information during US visit

Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, on Thursday said it was essential that the Georgian Government “maintain dialogue and that our partners have objective information” in order to make appropriate decisions and ensure favourable conditions for Georgia’s long-term funding.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Davitashvili discussed his recent visit to the United States.

The host asked Davitashvili about the current state of US-Georgia relations, considering the “difficult legacy” left by the Biden administration.

“Our visit to the US was primarily related to participation in the Spring Meetings of international financial institutions. We had a high-level delegation, including leadership from the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank of Georgia”, the Minister said.

“I believe we held many productive, business-oriented meetings with heads of international financial institutions and our partners. This is a crucial part of the process that supports economic progress, despite the strong political influence that is still present”, he continued.

The Minister also voiced concerns about increasing political and subjective influences within international financial institutions.

“Unfortunately, unlike the past, we now see a significant trend of politically driven, subjective decision-making attempts within international financial institutions. This is damaging for any partner country, including Georgia. For us, it is important to have dialogue and for our partners to have objective information so that they can make appropriate decisions and Georgia can have favourable conditions for long-term funding”, he concluded.