From an economic point of view, our policy is effective: over the past 5 years, Georgia has been the leader in economic growth in Europe. The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, said this during a leaders’ panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

“We are eager to become a full-fledged member of the European Union. We share the same goal as North Macedonia, but we also recognise that the European Union itself is facing some very significant and fundamental challenges.

For many years, there were some specific strengths for the European Union: a strong identity, a strong level of prosperity, and the strengths in terms of democracy and rule of law. But now, if you look at the current state of the European Union, it is facing challenges in all three of these areas. We are very much concerned about that, and we remain hopeful that the situation will improve in the future.

All these uncertainties and global challenges are naturally affecting our region as well. At the same time, the South Caucasus is also gaining particular importance in light of these wider developments.

We are doing our best to take advantage of the relevant opportunities. For many years, Georgia has proved to be a reliable bridge between Europe and Asia, and we are working hard to strengthen our connectivity function as much as possible. In the current circumstances, when trade routes face special pressures, we can offer valuable services to our partners in different parts of the world. Georgia serves as a transit hub for the efficient movement of goods, services, energy, and digital data, and we will continue to do our utmost to strengthen that function.

Our approach, which is grounded in peace, progress, and development, is proving successful. If you look at the economic data, Georgia’s economic policy and overall governance record speak for themselves. Over the last five years, Georgia has had the highest average economic growth rate in Europe, at 9.3% since 2021, and we have started this year strongly as well, with 8.4% growth in January and February”, - said Irakli Kobakhidze.