According to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the 12th session of the joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation between Georgia and Kazakhstan was held on September 20.

The meeting was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, under the co-chairing of the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Levan Davitashvili and the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev. The speakers emphasized the importance of the Bilateral Commission for Economic Cooperation as an effective and successful platform for strengthening trade and economic and sectoral ties between Georgia and Kazakhstan. 

"Our countries have worked together and cooperated for years, today's meeting is another step taken towards deepening this partnership. Georgia's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia has always been a contributing factor for the development of trade and economic ties in the region. For many years, we have used this advantage to develop our country into a dynamic and open economy. Kazakhstan, with its rich resources and strategic location in the Central Asia, is an important partner of Georgia. Our countries are close not only geographically, but also in terms of commitment to the global integration, economic development and regional stability," said Levan Davitashvili during his speech at the meeting.

The commission session discussed a wide range of priority areas of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries - trade, investments, tourism, energy, transport and logistics, industry, information technologies and innovations, including the development of a digital corridor between Europe and Asia. Particular attention was paid to bilateral and regional cooperation with the participation in the trans-Caspian transport and logistics projects, including the further development of the Middle Corridor and the attraction of additional cargo. The parties also emphasized the importance of implementing the Middle Corridor development roadmap.

During the session, the speakers of the two countries emphasized the growing dynamics of trade and economic relations between Georgia and Kazakhstan in various sectors, including - the rate of trade turnover increased by 168 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. It should be noted that Kazakhstan ranks 8th among Georgia's trade partners in 2023-2024. The parties also positively assessed cooperation in the field of tourism - in 2023, the number of international visitors from Kazakhstan to Georgia increased by 39 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. The positive dynamics continues in 2024 - Kazakhstan ranks 4th in the number of visitors to Georgia.

The 12th session of the joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation between Georgia and Kazakhstan ended with the signing of the protocol. In addition, within the framework of the session, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kazakhstan Entrepreneurship Development Fund Damu and the Development Fund of Georgia. The purpose of the memorandum is the cooperation of the two funds in the direction of supporting small and medium enterprises and creating joint projects.