The Meeting of the Government of Georgia was held on 17 February 2008. The agenda of the Meeting consisted of 47 items.
At the commencement of the Meeting, Prime Minister of Georgia Vladimer Gurgenidze informed the audience on his 14-16 January visit to Austria. He said: we had meetings with OSCE representatives and ambassadors of various countries. We provided them with information on the preparations for the parliamentary electrons, resolution of conflicts and other pressing issues. The Georgian delegation took an active part in Euroman Magazine Congress that is held annually and is a very prestigious event for the investors and bankers interested in the countries of East Europe.
The Congress that brought together 1200 delegates was opened with the speech of the Prime Minister of Georgia. The delegates were informed on the Presidential Elections held in Georgia as well as on the events that have unfolded in the country for the last two-three months. However, the main topic that was mostly highlighted was perspectives. All the investors or representatives of western banks that we met were satisfied with the legislative package that we introduced to the Parliament of Georgia last week. They believe that this indeed is an unprecedented package that fully considers the investor's current interests and guarantees that the course of the radical reforms will continue depending on the results of the elections. The steps made towards dialogue have also had a positive effect on the process. We had a meeting with the investors interested in Poti Port. The interest is high indeed, though there are a number of question marks that will be removed after the Parliament has approved the aforementioned legislative package.
Sizable investments have been made lately: a few major western investment funds announced to have invested 90 million US dollars; despite the current situation on the global credit market, Bank of Georgia has attracted 65 million US dollars; the privatization process has been renewed - one company was sold and we received a few millions of US dollars in sales proceeds. This means that the investment process that has accelerated economic growth for the last two-three years has actually resumed. This is quite important, as investment means jobs, further growth of our economy and reduction of poverty, concluded the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Organizational Department of the Chancellery of the Government of Georgia