At the beginning of the year, there were negative forecasts, a deliberate negative campaign was conducted regarding economic issues, however, this year we have high, 8% economic growth, Georgia has a sound economic policy, we have strong institutions, - Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated in his speech at the conference of the Georgian Business Association.
According to him, according to the latest data published by the EBRD, Georgia maintains the first position in terms of economic growth.
"At the beginning of the year, there were negative forecasts, a deliberate negative campaign was conducted on economic issues, which, in principle, was partly due to the small decline in December, when economic growth decreased by several percent compared to the forecast due to political events. However, since January, we have been able to return to the old trends and this year we have high economic growth - an 8% indicator, which is the number one indicator in Europe and the wider region. Also, according to the latest data published by the EBRD, Georgia maintains its first position in terms of economic growth. Our main task is to maintain this trend, and cooperation with you in this regard is of particular importance to us. We made comparisons in the previous case, comparing our economic growth with Moldova. Last year, it was said that we increased the gap with Moldova by 8 billion dollars over three years, and over 4 years, the gap with Moldova in terms of economic growth amounted to more than 11 billion dollars. This means that Georgia has "A well-organized economic policy. We have a low level of corruption, we are unique in this respect not only in the region, but we are ahead of many EU countries in terms of low corruption. We have strong institutions, and this is what distinguishes us from those countries that have much lower economic growth than us," the Prime Minister said.
In addition, as the Prime Minister noted, for the first time in history, after the 1990s, a single-digit poverty rate was recorded, which amounted to 9.4% last year.
According to him, challenges remain in this direction, but with the current pace and trends, it is possible to talk about the complete elimination of poverty in the country in the medium term.
"These results have a concrete basis. We have a very well-organized economic policy, we have an appropriate liberal tax system, business is free, which is one of the most important achievements since 2012, and the state is trying its best to provide all kinds of support to business. At the same time, proper management is very important, and I think that management is also provided at a high level in the relevant government structures," the Prime Minister said.
