Daily News January 20, 2020	Days:  16 17 20 21 22

politics

THE US AMBASSADOR: PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS THIS YEAR ARE IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR GEORGIANS TO SHOW THAT THEIR PROGRESS CANNOT BE REVERSED

Kelly Degnan, new ambassador of the US in Georgia, declared that “Parliamentary elections later this year are an important opportunity for Georgians to show the world that the progress they have worked so hard for cannot be reversed”.

The ambassador said this on January 16, within her swearing-in remarks, and noted: “I look forward to working with the Georgian government and civil society to support a free and fair election process”.




THE US CONGRESSMAN: FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN GEORGIA DECLINE BECAUSE OF OPPRESSION OF AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN BUSINESS INTERESTS

The US congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) expressed “increasing concerns regarding Georgia’s continued decline from democratic values and the associated decay of its economic prosperity”.

In his Twitter, Mullin published letter to Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, dated January 13, in which indicates that “Despite Georgia’s progress since declaring its independence in 1991, recent years have revealed a continued negative trend in democratic and free-market indicators that has not gone unnoticed in the United States”.

economics

IN 2019, GEORGIA’S NET EXPORT INCREASED BY 5.7% Y-O-Y

Sakstat released estimation, according to which Georgia’s export in 2019 amounted to $3.77 billion, increasing year-on-year by 12.4%. At that, net export (i.e. without consideration of re-export) made up $2.35 billion, increasing by 5.7%.




IN 2019, GEORGIA’S EXPORT TO EU COUNTRIES INCREASED BY 13% Y-O-Y, WHILE IMPORT DECREASED BY 7.4%

Sakstat released estimation, according to which Georgia’s export to EU countries amounted in 2019 to $825.7 million, increasing year-on-year by 13%. In total export of the country, EU countries accounted for 21.9% (against of 21.7% in 2018).




IN 2019, GEORGIA’S EXPORT TO CIS COUNTRIES INCREASED BY 20% Y-O-Y, WHILE IMPORT – BY 1.8%

Sakstat released estimation, according to which Georgia’s export to CIS countries in 2019 amounted to $2 billion, increasing year-on-year by 20%. In total export of the country, CIS countries accounted for 53.1% (against of 49.9% in 2018).




IN 2019, GEORGIA’S EXPORT OF WINE INCREASED BY 13.2%, MINERAL AND FRESH WATERS – BY 21.2%, HAZELNUT – BY 10.6%, CITRUSES – BY 44.4%

Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture reported that the country’s export of wine amounted in 2019 to $223 million (year-on-year growth – 13.2%), while of mineral and fresh waters – to $133.5 million (growth – 21.2%).

Export of hazelnut made up $67 million (growth – 10.6%), the Ministry said, pointing that showings of water and filbert export are at the highest level since 2014.




GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN DAVOS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Georgian government announced that the country’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia will take part in the Davos World Economic Forum. Gakharia will visit Switzerland on January 21-24.




IN Q4 OF 2019, DOMESTIC TRANSACTIONS WITH LOCAL BANKING CARDS INCREASED BY 28.8% Y-O-Y

National Bank of Georgia reported that volume of domestic transactions, made with plastic cards of Georgian resident issuers, totaled in the 4^th quarter of 2019 to 8.11 billion lari. The volume has increased by 14.2% quarter-on-quarter and 28.8% year-on-year.




IN Q4 OF 2019, FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS WITH LOCAL BANKING CARDS INCREASED BY 34.9% Y-O-Y

National Bank of Georgia reported that volume of foreign transactions, made with plastic cards of Georgian resident issuers, totaled in the 4^th quarter of 2019 to equivalent of 685.17 million lari. The volume has increased by 6.3% quarter-on-quarter and 34.9% year-on-year.