Page 20 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Winter 2020 Digital Interactive Issue.

COUNTRY OF GEORGIA

INVESTMENT DESTINATION

YOU WERE LOOKING FOR

Georgia, that sits in the foothills of Greater Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, give investors all the opportunities to capitalize on
Caucasus mountains, between Black and Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and opportunities arising from free trade agreement
Caspian Seas, is country with great history Turkmenistan, as well as all its neighbors and and trade flows passing through Georgia.
and rich culture. Georgia is home to first ever strategic partners, Turkey, Azerbaijan and
hominids (Homo Erecturs Georgicus) to settle Armenia. As a result, Georgia provides customs If you are thinking that access to markets is
in Europe 1,8 million years ago, making duty-free access to 2.3 billion market. good but you want more, Georgia has you
Georgians the first Europeans. With its unique covered
language and alphabet, Georgia stands out General Schemes of Preference for Georgia
even today, but there is one thing that everybody with the US, Canada, and Japan have also There are 62 Higher education and 66
should be thanking Georgia for (well, at least been applied for, with the result being lower Vocational education centers produce steady
almost everybody). Georgia is birthplace of wine, tariffs on 3,400 goods exported from Georgia. supply of fresh professionals, with over 150
as first evidence of wine-making from 8,000 thousand students graduating over last 5 years.
years ago was found in modern day Georgia. Furthermore, a proposed series of FTAs, Georgia is about to strengthen its position as

including Georgia-Israel, Georgia-India and educational center in the region with new Kutaisi
Over last decade, Georgia has become Georgia-U.S., are also in the works. International University, which at full capacity
synonymous with successful reforms and rapid will host 60 thousand students. KIU operational
development. Georgian success has been widely With its strategic location and well developed model was developed in partnership with
recognized and has gained the country the name infrastructure, 4 sea ports, 3 international Technical University of Munich and will offer
of a “Top Reformer” many times over the years. airports, internationally connected railway vocational, undergraduate, graduate, and post-
As a result, small country on the crossroads of (connecting China and Turkey), highway from graduate degree programs as well as research
Europe and Asia has become one of the best border to border, Georgia is well positioned to possibilities in science and technology. KIU will
places to do business.

HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT BY
CHOOSING GEORGIA?

How about tariff free access to markets with
2.3 billion population?

The Association Agreement with EU was
signed and ratified in 2014, including Deep
and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement
(“DCFTA”). In 2016, Georgia signed free
trade agreement with EFTA countries, giving
Georgian products duty free access to markets of
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Since then, Georgia has concluded free
trade agreements with the People’s Republic
of China (including Hong Kong) and most
recently with UK, that will come in force after
the Berixit. Additionally, Georgia has signed
FTAs with CIS countries that include Armenia,

20. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL