On October 31, Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, commenced his working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Press Office of the Georgian government reported.

Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade, welcomed the Prime Minister of Georgia at the airport, along with Paata Kalandadze, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the UAE.

Meeting with the President of the United Arab Emirates

On the same day, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates.

The key directions of productive cooperation between the two countries were discussed at the meeting. Emphasis was placed on the high level of political dialogue between the countries, as evidenced by the high-level visits held over the past years. Commitment to furthering the existing productive cooperation was expressed. It was noted that active negotiations are underway to establish free trade between Georgia and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, numerous projects in Georgia are being implemented with Arab investments, and their growing numbers are commendable.

Irakli Garibashvili emphasized that creating a free trade zone would establish a beneficial climate for promoting and developing economic and trade relations between the two countries. The importance of tapping fully into the considerable potential in tourism, energy, and transport was underlined. It was noted that the trade turnover between the two countries grew by 84% in the first nine months of 2022 to reach EUR 191 million.

Meeting with the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates

On November 1, Irakli Garibashvili met with Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates, who is one of the largest investors in Georgia.

The issues discussed included the key directions of cooperation between the two countries and prospects of deeper cooperation in the future.The Prime Minister emphasized that the United Arab Emirates is an attractive commercial, trade, and technological hub and that its growing international positioning in every direction must be appreciated.

After the official meeting, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan hosted a working dinner in honor of Irakli Garibashvili. Notably, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan has invested EUR 150.9 million in Georgia.

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