The 22nd Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program kicked off in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday.
Levan Davitashvili, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia delivered the opening speech and highlighted the key achievements and challenges of the regional cooperation initiative.
“CAREC plays a vital role in promoting better partnerships and teamwork – to enhance sustainable economic growth, overall well-being and sustainability in our region.” “Through the developed strategies and operational frameworks, CAREC provides a platform for important policy review and acts as a forum for sharing ideas and practical recommendations, with the active involvement of experts and representatives of member countries,” said Levan Davitashvili.
Georgia is the first CAREC chairman country this year since it joined in 2016. Senior officials from ten participating CAREC countries attend the ministerial meeting, representatives from the private sector, international diplomatic corps, and donor organizations, including Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa.
The program aims to promote economic growth and poverty alleviation in member countries, and the ministers will discuss important regional cooperation issues such as trade promotion, transport and energy sectors, etc.
The main topic of the 22nd Ministerial in Tbilisi is to define the region’s climate change measures, strategic goals and plans. The Climate Change Vision Document, developed by Karek, addresses the region’s resilience to climate risks and efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and shift to a low-carbon economy.
“Today’s ministerial motto is “Activating regional cooperation in the era of change”. Indeed, we live in an era of rapid change and unexpected.
The ministerial ministry will also discuss CAREC’s other priority trade-economic directions, helping to deepen cooperation between member countries in several sectors, including transport, energy, trade, tourism, communications and information technology.
