The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Genadi Arveladze, signed a declaration to start negotiations on the CAREC Trade and Investment Promotion Partnership Agreement (CARTIF) generation.
The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia shared the glimpses of the signing ceremony on its Official Facebook Page on November 20, 2025, Thursday. The Georgian Ministry also shared a small note about the event along with its glimpses.
According to the small note shared by the Economy Ministry of Georgia, it should be noted that the signature was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, within the framework of the 24th Ministerial Conference of CAREC.
The declaration aims to sign a modern, development-oriented partnership agreement that will promote trade in goods and services in the CAREC region, reduce non-tariff barriers, and encourage digital trade development. The Declaration of the Partnership Agreement for Trade and Investment Promotion (CARTIF) is scheduled to commence negotiations in 2026.
The Deputy Minister Genadi Arveladze positively assessed the start of negotiations on the CARTIF agreement with CAREC countries.
Genadi Arveladze said, “One of the priorities of the Georgian government is to diversify export markets and to sign free trade agreements, so that Georgian products and services can be exported to as many countries as possible by a preferential regime.” We only have a free trade agreement with some of the CAREC countries, he added.
“Thus, cooperation in the CARTIF format will greatly help Georgian manufacturers to export products to more countries by preferential mode,” stated the Deputy Minister.
According to Genadi Arveladze’s assessment, the goal of CARTIF is to simplify trade among member countries, attract investments, and create a more competitive market.
During the Conference of Ministers, a Memorandum on CAREC Regional Tourism Development was also signed, which aims to deepen regional cooperation, improve competitiveness, and position the CAREC region as a unified, high-value tourism destination.
CAREC’s Conference of Ministers is an annual event that brings together high-level representatives from participating states to approve strategic plans and action programmes, discuss various initiatives and mechanisms for funding projects, and other important thematic issues.
