Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili delivered a speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he highlighted Georgia’s resounding economic performance and potential, role as a responsible global citizen, and commitment to European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
The Prime Minister discussed Georgia’s economic performance and ambitions to become a multi-dimensional regional hub. Garibashvili noted that Georgia experienced “double-digit economic growth for two consecutive years, with a GDP growth rate of over 10 percent in 2021 and 2022” under his government. Additionally, he highlighted efforts underway to boost infrastructure and regional connectivity to “eliminate bottlenecks and enhance the Middle Corridor from 2022 to 2027.”
Garibashvili said, “Each step we take seeks to bring Georgia back into the European family where it belongs.” The Prime Minister emphasized that Georgia’s considerable efforts since 2012 to implement democratic and good-governance reforms have made it the frontrunner among the so-called Associated Trio of fellow E.U.-aspiring countries—Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine—and that these “achievements deserve a favorable decision from the E.U.”
The Prime Minister further noted Georgia’s outsized contributions to the global community, namely its “substantial contributions to NATO missions worldwide,” which made Georgia one of the largest per capita contributors to the NATO missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its “significant” ongoing involvement with E.U.-led missions.
In closing, The Prime Minister highlighted Georgia’s significant progress since regaining independence and reiterated that the country will continue to provide “even greater results for the Georgian people while making significant contributions to the global community.”