Georgian PM meets Soudi Arabia crown prince amid “historic” trip

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday met with the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as part of his “historic visit” to the country. 

A welcoming ceremony in honor of the head of the Georgian government was held at Al Yamamah Palace, where the sides had discussed bilateral cooperation and prospects for further strengthening ties, the government press office said. 

The Saudi Arabian side expressed readiness to become “more active” in tapping into Georgia’s potential, while Garibashvili named  tourism as a rapidly growing sector of the Georgian economy and noted the citizens of Saudi Arabia “enjoy visa-free travel”. 

Garibashvili also pointed out that Georgia “is an attractive country to Saudi Arabia in terms of both state investment funds and private business”, and that his government welcomed the entry of more investors from the country. 

At the meeting the Georgian PM announced his support for the candidacy of the city of Riyadh to host the 2030 World Expo and expressed confidence in the Kingdom’s ability to hold a “distinguished version” of this exhibition with the “best levels” of innovation and provide an “extraordinary experience” in the history of this global event. 

In the fields of economy, trade and investment, the two sides stressed the importance of enhancing economic and commercial cooperation between them by diversifying intra-trade and raising the level of mutual and joint investments, seizing the opportunities for integration and investment provided by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and the development priorities in Georgia in various sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, transportation and other vital sectors. 

The officials also highlighted the importance of suitable investment conditions for the private sector of the two countries, intensifying mutual visits, holding investment and business forums periodically, and called on entrepreneurs from both sides to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in the two countries and transform them into “tangible partnerships”. 

Georgian FM Ilia Darchiashvili called the visit “historic” that could further strengthen cooperation with the Gulf states.