2016-06-27
Signing of an FTA between Georgia and the EFTA, bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, and education, and sharing Switzerland's experience in the development of mountainous regions were some of the main topics discussed at today's meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Johann Schneider-Ammann, President of the Swiss Confederation and the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. The meeting was held at the Béatrice-von-Wattenwyl-Haus.
The meeting paid special attention to the importance of deepening the economic relations between Georgia and Switzerland. The parties emphasized that the bilateral agreement on investment protection, which was added today to the Free Trade Agreement with the EFTA, provides fertile ground to this end.
Agriculture, tourism, and energy were named as promising cooperation sectors. In this context, the successful investments by Blauenstein Georgia, a Swiss company, in Georgia's agriculture were singled out as a success story.
The upcoming professional education reform in Georgia was also discussed. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of Swiss support in this process.
The Swiss president spoke of the important projects implemented by Switzerland in Georgia with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, also expressing commitment to deepening cooperation in this direction.
The Head of Georgian Government provided the Swiss President with information about the dynamics in the relations between Georgia and the EU. Johann Schneider-Ammann expressed interest in the current state of affairs in the region.
The Georgian Prime Minister thanked the President of the Swiss Confederation for supporting Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty and for mediating in the relations between Georgia and Russia. He also discussed the importance of Swiss support within the OSCE. At the meeting, special attention was paid to the role of the Geneva international talks and the reestablishment of the IPRM (Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism).
Prime Minister's Press Office