On November 10, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told a panel discussion at the Paris Peace Forum that Georgia and Armenia were among the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Garibashvili said the country’s economic performance had tripled while the gross domestic product in United States dollars had doubled. "We are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, along with Armenia. This is not accidental. We create good policies, good governance, provide rapid economic growth for our people, which brings employment opportunities, stability, predictability for business [and] foreign direct investment was a record last year," Garibashvili said.

The Georgian Prime Minister told the panel that 2022 had been a historic year for Georgia as the country received a European perspective from the European Council while also noting another landmark decision made by the European Commission this week with its recommendation to the Council to grant the country the EU membership candidate status.

Moreover, Prime Minister Garibashvili said his government was interested in ensuring lasting peace in the South Caucasus region and was committed to facilitating related talks between neighborly Azerbaijan and Armenia before hailing excellent ties with both nations in his address at the Paris Peace Forum panel discussion. 

Addressing the discussion Insights on Cooperation in a World of rivalry: Crafting Peace and Building a Safer World – The Case of Caucasus - along with his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan, Garibashvili stressed the long-running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region was a matter of concern for Tbilisi, and claimed his communication and exchange with the leaders of both countries were full of trust. Pointing to the importance of trust and impartiality during mediation, the Prime Minister stressed his office had already succeeded in this regard when, in 2021, he and the United States official Philip Reeker brokered a deal involving Azerbaijan's release of 15 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for receiving from Armenia a map of landmines in the Aghdam district of the disputed region. "Trust is crucial here because if someone offers mediation, both parties must trust them. If there is no trust, there will be no successful mediation," Garibashvili said. He added that the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum last month, which brought together Azerbaijani and Armenian top officials, also discussed ways for regional peace and security. 

He also applauded France's support for the country’s European Union integration path. Garibashvili emphasized his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and noted that France's support for the country's European integration path was undoubtedly very important. "I informed Macron about the current state of affairs in the country, reforms, and processes that we all went through together. I also told President Macron that this process of implementing reforms does not end, and it is a process that must continue. We will continue it. The country is moving to a new stage, but the process must continue, and we must achieve even more success," the leader noted.

In his comments with the media following a panel discussion at the Paris Peace Forum, Garibashvili noted his government had positive expectations and would have close coordination with the European partners. The head of government stressed that the European Commission's decision had put an end to groundless and unsupported speculations that his government had done nothing in this regard. "We directly heard claims that the country does not deserve the status, the country is not ready, etc. At this time, the countries that are far behind us are Ukraine and Moldova. Even today, we are ten times ahead of both countries and everyone else. But I want to say that the fact is the fact, and the truth should be told directly. Then they received the [status], and we didn't. No one remembered the [Georgian] citizens then, on the contrary, it was an attempt to sacrifice our citizens," he continued.

Furthermore, Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the European Commission's decision to recommend that the European Council grant Georgia the candidate status. "I would like to welcome the European Commission’s decision to recommend granting Georgia the membership candidate status. This is very important. I wanted to officially congratulate my Georgian counterpart after the decision of the European Council in December," he said.