Economic Press Monitor

IN THIS ISSUE:

In 2020, Georgia’s trade turnover suffered biggest decrease after 2009, reducing by 15% and making up $11.3 billion, the magazine indicates.

The article reports that Georgia’s export in 2017-2019 increased by combined 79%, but decreased by 12% in 2020.

Nomination of Irakli Garibashvili at the post of Georgia’s Prime Minister reminded the economists of the economic plan that had been postponed for years, the newspaper says.

Academician Avto Silagadze says that this plan was developed during Garibashvili’s previous terms in Premier’s office, but “then it was ignored”.

Speaking in the country’s Parliament on February 22, nominee Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili declared: “We have no possibility of any control and no regulations” of prices for medicines, which is “unacceptable and requires setting within a certain reasonable framework”. Companies operate “with huge margins, with huge profits and raise price of medicines”, he pointed.

Non-governmental organization Waste Detector reported that LLC Serpentine, connected with Irakli Garibashvili (approved for the post of Georgia’s Prime Minister on February 22), won tenders of 112.14 million lari.

In the period of 2011-2020, the company won in 158 tenders, 70 of which were held in absence of competition, while at 14 ones – with disqualification of rivals, Tabula reports.