FBC attends economic symposium ‘Caucasus, Central Asia: the Caspian dynamics’

FROM THE REDACTION

French Business Council (FBC) took part in its first international economic forum in Paris on April 10th.

The event, jointly set up by the French Agency for International Development ‘Ubifrance’ and the Senate, gathered 180 participants from the private sector, international financial institutions, and public administrations. The event was also attended by Mr. Francois Poncelet, the President of the French Senate, and featured 9 presentations and 2 round tables, covering 8 countries: Armenia, Azerbaïjan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Speaking on behalf of Georgia, Vice Minister of Economic Development Mrs. Tamara Kovziridze gave a convincing speech regarding the great economic potential of Georgia. This vision was relayed as well by the Economic Counselor Alexandre Troubetzkoy, who made an interesting parallel in his speech between the chivalry battles of the middle ages and the current boom in economic developments taking place in Georgia, in which he would like to see more involvement from industry leaders.
After lunch, the Senate, joined by Giorgi Baramidze, Vice-Prime Minister of Georgia, took part in the first round table of the afternoon, which was devoted to the three Caucasian States. This was an opportunity for FBC President Gilbert Hie to formally announce the existence of the FBC, its aims as communication center for fostering trade and investment between Georgia and France, and its forthcoming plans. This announcement, the only one of its kind during the event, put greater emphasis on economic developments in Georgia. The following discussion was about business people’s experiences in the Caucasus zone. It went into more detail about the on-going projects lead by businesses in Georgia, especially ones being conducted by FBC board members attending the event; including Mr. Antoine Bardon, Vice-President of FBC and his group involved in real estate and trade, and Mr. Jacques Fleury, who presented the successes of Borjomi and other projects he promotes in tourism and real estate. Mr. Gilbert Hie, taking the floor as CEO of Bank Republic, also gave an overview of the positive evolutions in the Georgian banking sector, and the global dynamism of real estate, tourism, and agri-business.
This day of talks was ended with a cocktail reception at the Senate premises, an enjoyable way to wrap up a full day of work, and an opportunity for FBC members to talk further about the promising perspectives for French business people interested in Georgia’s potential.