Georgia: A meeting of the Economic Council, chaired by the Georgian Premier Irakli Garibashvili on Friday, discussed the formal proposal of IDS Borjomi, the Georgian company producing and exporting the Borjomi mineral water, to transfer a part of its shares to the Georgian Government free of charge, and the ongoing public employment programme.
The Prime Minister instructed the ministries to work actively to complete the relevant procedures in a short time. The decision will be announced at the next government session.
The members of the Economic Council informed Irakli Gharibashvili about the progress of the public employment program. Across Georgia, a total of 28,680 citizens applied to the Ministry of Health for a public works program, of which 12,502 were referred for public works vacancies.
The Prime Minister instructed Leri Barnabishvili, Head of the Government Administration’s Regions Department, to strengthen coordination with the municipalities’ mayors to facilitate the successful implementation of the program through their active involvement.
Positive indicators of economic growth and the growth dynamics of tourism recovery were also discussed. It was noted that more than 400 flights are planned per week. As for the Adjara region, tourist activity is characterized by a growing pace there as well. There will be more than 220 flights a month in the region.
At the same time, the process of selling cheap medicines imported from Turkey was positively assessed at the meeting. More than 150,000 people benefited from the available medicines in 10 weeks, and in total, the population saved GEL 42 million.
The positive trends of employment growth and the reduction of unemployment were highlighted. In the first quarter of 2022, compared to the previous year, the unemployment rate fell by 2.5% to 19.4%. The number of employed increased by 71.3 thousand, while the number of unemployed decreased by 27.9 thousand.
In addition, under the coordination of Georgia, negotiations were held between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan on the coordinated and smooth handling of cargo. It was noted that there are no conduction delays on the part of Georgia; some shortcomings in this direction are related to the ongoing infrastructure on the other side of the border and, in the case of Lars, repair work. Also, the issues of transportation of perishable products were regulated.
