The 5th Silk Road Forum has opened at the Opera and Ballet Theater in Tbilisi. According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the forum is being held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze on October 22-23 and is attended by high-ranking political figures, representatives of the business sector and international organizations.
The opening panel - a high-level dialogue is being held with the participation of the heads of government of the countries of the region - the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov.
According to the Ministry, the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum has been held every two years since 2015.
During this period, the forum has developed into an international brand and a high-level platform for dialogue between governments of different countries, as well as for bilateral and multilateral meetings between organizations and business representatives.
The event will be traditionally representative, sectorally diverse and will host a gathering of global leaders - more than 2,300 delegates from more than 70 countries. Among the forum participants are Prime Ministers and Vice Prime Ministers of the countries of the region, as well as sectoral ministers of countries beyond the region, leading global companies and international experts, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia and international organizations - the UN, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), etc.
The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum is one of the best opportunities and an important discussion platform for deepening political, trade-economic and cultural ties between Asia and Europe, where international trade-economic relations, transport-logistics connections between Europe and Asia, including: the role of the Middle Corridor route and issues of further development of its function, as well as new programs and projects in various sectoral directions are discussed. The main theme and slogan of the Silk Road Forum this year will be: Invest in Connectivity – Grow in Stability.
On October 22, seven panel discussions will be held on issues of international trade, the Middle Corridor, energy, investments, innovations and technologies. In addition to the main panels, parallel events and discussions will focus on regional infrastructure projects, including the Anaklia deep-sea port, as well as the Black Sea submarine cable projects (both energy and digital). On October 23, the Tbilisi Financial Summit will be held within the framework of the forum. In addition to the main panels, parallel events will be held within the framework of the forum for two days, including bilateral business meetings between representatives of companies from various sectors.
