QBA Meeting with H.E Ms. Natela Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

The Qatari Businessmen Association hosted a meeting with H.E. Mrs. Natella Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and her accompanying delegation during their visit to Doha. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Genadi Arveladze Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and also H.E. Mr. Nikoloz Revazishvili, Ambassador of Georgia to Doha where they discussed opportunities for joint economic cooperation and ways to support and enhance it.

From the Qatari Businessmen Association, the meeting was headed by Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani QBA Chairman, also from QBA Members Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahad al Thani, Mr. Faisal al Mana, Mr. Maqbool Khalfan, Mr. Ihsan al Khiaymi and Mr. Mohamed Althaf attended the meeting as well as QBA Deputy General Manager Ms. Sarah Abdullah

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal welcomed the Minister and the accompanying delegation, and stressed the importance of this visit which aims at discussing ways of trade and investment cooperation and the development of relations between the two countries

For her part, the Minister presented an overview of Georgia, where she pointed out that Georgia enjoys a stable political environment, in addition to the state’s endeavor to create an attractive investment climate for foreign investors, as according to the World Bank’s report, Georgia ranks seventh out of 190 countries in the indicator of “ease of doing business” and the Georgian economy is flexible and transparent as it is considered one of the least corrupt countries in the Black Sea region, according to the Transparency International report for the year 2018.The Minister also added that the country has reduced several taxes to occupy the 3rd rank according to the World Bank in the index related to low tax systems, in addition to the free trade agreements signed by Georgia with 46 different countries to reach a large market of consumers

The Minister also talked about the sectors that the state is interested in attracting more investors to, highlighting the hospitality and tourism sectors, where the country has a lot of historical and tourism elements that make it an important center for foreign tourists and resulted in hosting about 3.4 million visitors in 2019, adding also the real estate and contracting sectors as well as The retail sector, which contributes to its growth, the flexibility and ease of entry to Georgia which allows several countries to visit without the need for visa. She specifically indicated a project for a huge commercial shopping center located in the heart of the capital, offered for investment by the private sector, where the state is privatizing some public facilities such as touristic and medical resorts and wellness & health centers

All of this made Georgia one of the most investment friendly countries in the world, which was clearly reflected in the indicators of major international institutions, calling on Qatari business owners to explore the investment opportunities available in Georgia.

For his part, His Excellency Sheikh / Faisal talked about his experience when he visited Georgia and its natural and economic features in terms of its geographical proximity and picturesque nature, which makes it an ideal place for tourism and real estate investment, as well as their significant agricultural sector, where the State of Qatar can benefit as the country is currently concerned with food security and achieving self-sufficiency in products and food industries, which can be a major area for cooperation between both countries, stressing the importance of the follow-up process after such meetings and creating a working group in the Ministry of Economy in Georgia to facilitate and support the entry of Qatari businessmen to the Georgian market 

At the end of the meeting, the Minister thanked the Qatari businessmen Association for this meeting, and also invited the members to visit Georgia and study the investment environment closely and meet their counterparts in Georgia where Sheikh Faisal welcomed the invitation and expressed his readiness to take a delegation of Qatari businessmen to Georgia