November 27, 2017

19:00 - 21:30

On the Occasion of Tbilisi Belt & Road Forum 2017 Welcome Reception hosted by the First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia - Dimitry Kumsishvili 

Funicular Restaurant
(by invitation only)

November 28, 2017

00:00 - 22:00

Registration 

09:30 - 11:15

Opening Remarks by H.E. Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia

Addresses by:

• Mr. Qian Keming, Deputy Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China
• Mr. Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Transport and   Mobility, European Commission

Welcoming Panel: High Level Dialogue on Belt and Road Connectivity for Stability

• Economic potential of Belt and Road Initiative and perspectives of implementation
• “Belt and Road” - hub for attracting investments
• Belt and Road Connectivity-role of participating countries and international organizations
• Ensuring stability-directions and priorities of future cooperation
• Challenges ahead

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anil K. Gupta, Michael Digman Chair & Professor, The University of Maryland at College Park, USA

Panel members:

• H.E. Giorgi Kvirikashvili 
  Prime Minister of Georgia
• H.E. Pavel Filip, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova
• H.E. Volodymyr Groysman, Prime Minister of Ukraine
• H.E. Erbolat Dossaev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• H.E. Karl Erjavec, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia
• H.E. Sheikh Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance of UAE
• Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice President, ADB
• Mr. Alain Pilloux, Vice President, EBRD

11:15 - 11:45

Coffee Break 

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre 

11:45 –12:55

Panel discussion: Trade Facilitation along Belt and Road Initiative

Session I - Trade Facilitation 

• WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and its impact on trade development within Belt and Road initiative;
• Regional and Bilateral Free Trade Agreements - A solid basis for regional trade development and removal of trade barriers
• Increasing private sector competitiveness through integration into global supply chains
• Challenges and opportunities of trade facilitation in the region

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre

Moderator: Mr. Aaron Heslehurst, BBC World News presenter

Panel Members: 

• Mr. Genadi Arveladze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia 
• Mr. Qian Keming, Deputy Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China
• Ms. Nataliya Mykolska, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine
• Ms. Dana Meager, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic
• Dr. Abdel Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Negotiation Affairs, Gulf Cooperation Council
• Mr. Yi Xiaozhun, Deputy Director-General, WTO

12:55 –13:55

Panel discussion: Trade Facilitation along Belt and Road Initiative

Session II - E-Commerce

• E-Commerce opportunities for Development of Trade 
• Engagement of SMEs in E-Commerce
• E-Commerce and trade logistics: new challenges and opportunities for internatoinal Transport and Trade Facilitation

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre

Moderator: Mr. Aaron Heslehurst, BBC World News presenter

Panel Members: 

• Mr. George Melashvili, Executive Director, National Bank of Georgia
• Mr. Andriy Shcherbina, Visa Digital Solutions Director for South East Europe, CIS and Georgia, Visa
• Ms. Ana Hinojosa, Director, Compliance and Facilitation of WCO
• Mr. Mutua Muthusi, Director of the Executive Office of UPU - Universal Postal Union
• Mr. Francois Davenne, Secretary General, OTIF
• Dr. Weijiang Feng, Senior Fellow and Director of the Department of International Political Economy, IWEP, CASS

14:00 -15:15   

Lunch

MOMA - The Museum Of Modern Art 

15:30-16:30

Panel discussion: Transport Infrastructure

• Increasing role of transport in ensuring market access and boosting  economic ties between countries
• Need of coordinated activities for increasing freight volumes among the Belt and Road countries
• Existing challenges and  transport facilitation perspectives
• Transport infrastructure development as a key for unlocking trade potential
• Reliability and efficiency of logistical systems  for increasing cargo flows
• Need to invest in transport infrastructure
• Assessing existing financial instruments and mobilizing international financial instruments for improving connectivity

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Ballroom

Moderator: Ms. Melinda Crane, Chief Political Correspondent, Deutsche Welle TV

Panel members:

• Mr. Dimitry Kumsishvili, First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
• H.E. Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication of Turkey
• H.E. Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan
• Mr. Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Transport and Mobility, European Commission
• H.E. Andrzej Adamczyk, Minister of Infrastructure and Construction of the Republic of Poland
• Dr. Peter Gaspersic, Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia

15:30 -16:30

Panel discussion: Energy - Transregional Opportunities (Oil, Gas and Electricity)

• What are the new trends in energy industry: increasing reliance on energy corridors (oil and gas pipelines, electricity transmission lines) for energy supply, greater role of renewable energy and crossborder electricity trading
• What are the significant existing and under development projects in the sector that could connect the energy sectors of regional countries
• Can increased supply of electricity incentivize investments in energy intensive sectors

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Amphitheatre

Moderator: Ms. Eithne Treanor, Managing Director, E.Treanor Media

Panel members:

• Mr. George Chikovani, Deputy Minister of Energy of Georgia
• Mr. David Tvalabeishvili, Director General, Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation
• Mr. Gary Jones, Regional President of BP
• Mr. Bjorn Brandtzaeg, CEO, Clean Energy Group Georgia
• Mr. Bruno Balvanera, Director for Caucasus Moldova and Belarus, EBRD

16:45 - 17:45

Panel discussion: Digital Connectivity

• Belt and Road broadband connection - Gateway for Development
• Trends of digital age and Global Internet Policy
• Contribute to an open, safe and secure cyberspace for smooth functioning of the digital infrastructure
• Investing in digital infrastructure to accelerate development of the digital economy and bridge the digital divide
• Future perspectives of Belt and Road multilateral cooperation in ICTs

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Amphitheatre

Panel moderator: Mr. Axel Threlfall, Editor-at-Large, Reuters

Panel members:

• Mr. Giorgi Cherkezishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
• Mr. Brahima Sanou, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (ITU-D)
• Mr. Lawrence Meredith, Director for Neighbourhood East, DG NEAR, European Commission
• Mr. Deng Xiao Feng, CEO, China Telecom Global Limited
• Mr. Vahan Martirosyan, Minister of Transport, Communication and IT of the Republic of Armenia
• Mr. Istvan Lepsenyi, State Secretary for Economic Development and Regulations, Ministry for National Economy of Hungary
• Dr. Stefka Slavova, Lead Economist, The World Bank

Panel Discussion: New Gateway for Opportunities

• Georgia as a new transshipment center brining goods across Europe and Asia through a vast transportation network
• Anaklia as a new logistics hub for road, rail, and sea transportation, as well as a center for manufacturing and commercial services
• Regional initiatives, including launching of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars New Railway Line
• Advances in efficiently moving goods across borders on multiple modes of transportation 
• Rapid progress in making it easier, faster, and less expensive for goods to travel from manufacturer to customer
• The availability of private sector trade finance to support this new transshipment corridor

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Ballroom

Panel moderator: Mr. Matthew Oresman, Counsel of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Panel members:

• Mr. Mamuka Bakhtadze, Minister of Finance of Georgia
• Mr. Abbas Akhoundi, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Islamic Republic of Iran
• Mr. Levan Akhvlediani, CEO, Anaklia Development Consortium
• Mr. Javid Gurbanov, Chairman, CJSC "Azerbaijan Railways"
• Mr. Maxat Kabashev, Vice President for Development, JSC National Company "Kazakhstan Railways"
• Mr. Andre Hempel, General Manager, Trans-Eurasia Logistics Gmbh.
• Mr. Zhang Hailin, Executive Director, Rewin Finance

19:30 - 23:00

Gala Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Georgia (by invitation only)

Republic Events Hall

November 29, 2017

08:30 - 10:00        

Welcome coffee

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi

• H.E. Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
• Mr. Vazil Hudak, Vice President, EIB
• Mr. Lu Jianzhong, Chairman, SRCIC

Panel Discussions

10:15 - 11:15        

Panel discussion: Capture the Investment Opportunities

Session I - Investing and Trading Opportunities in Georgia

• Georgia as an attractive investment destination due to liberal and favorable business environment (easiness of doing business, corruption-free, preferential trade agreements, low taxes, etc.) 
• Highly accessible and service-oriented border control for international travelers and products
• Strong government support in attracting foreign direct investment
• Diversified investment sectors

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Ballroom  

Panel moderator: Mr. Ian Burrell, Media Consultant

Panel members:

• Mr. Dimitry Kumsishvili, First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
• Mr. David Saganelidze, CEO, Partnership Fund
• Mr. Irakli Gilauri, Group CEO, BGEO Group
• Mr. Zurab Gelenidze, CEO, CFO, Georgian Industrial Group
• Mr. Taekwon Seo, Vice CEO, JSC Nenskra Hydro
• Mr. David Borger, Vice President, Business Development, Silk Road Group
• Mr. Valery Vavilov, Founder and CEO, Director of the Board, The Bitfury Group

11:15 - 12:15

Panel discussion: Capture the Investment Opportunities

Session II - Georgia - Regional Frontier for Global Investments

• Georgia having fundamentally grown stable market for regional investments
• Georgia – Natural Hub for economic links due to its strategic location
• Georgia as a transit corridor- attracting investments in developing infrastructure
• Environment for business in Georgia and the opportunities it offers as a regional hub connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia
• Georgia - Natural hub for economic links due to its strategic location

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Ballroom  

Panel moderator: Mr. Ian Burrell, Media Consultant

Panel members:

• Ms. Keti Bochorishvili, CEO, JSC Anaklia City
• Mr. Pankaj Birla, Area Vice President - Eastern Europe, Marriott International
• Mr. Prashant Joshi, CEO, Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC, Joint venture: Tata Group, Clean Energy Invest, IFC
• Mr. Richard Tollis, Partner, Head of Project Finance and Infrastructure Group in EMEIA, EY
• Mrs. Flavia Palanza, Director, Lending Operations in EU Neighbouring Countries, EIB
• Mr. Bruno Balvanera, Director for Caucasus Moldova and Belarus, EBRD

10:15 - 11:30

Panel discussion: CAREC 2030: Connecting the Region for Shared and Sustainable Development

• Presentation of the new CAREC 2030 Long-term Strategic Framework as endorsed during the 16th Ministerial Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in October 2017
• Discussion

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi - Amphitheatre

Panel moderator: Mr. Safdar Parvez, Director of Regional Cooperation and Operation Division of the Central Asia Department, ADB

Panel members:

• Dr. Mustafa Mastoor, Acting Minister of Economy, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
• Mr. Elyor M. Ganiev, Minister of Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan
• Mr. Genadi Arveladze, CAREC National Focal Point in Georgia, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
• Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice President, ADB
• Mr. Alain Pilloux, Vice President, EBRD
• Mr. Stefanos Fotiou, Director, Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

12:30 - 14:00

Lunch

MOMA - The Museum Of Modern Art

Parallel activities

14:00 – 18:00

B2B Meetings - one-on-one meetings between companies

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi

15:00 - 17:00

Meeting of the Coordination Committee for the Development of South-West International Transport Route
(Closed Meeting)

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi
Meeting Room N4

Members of the Commitee:

• Georgian Railway JSC
• Azerbaijan Railways CJSC
• Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran CJSC
• Polish State Railways S.A.
• Ukrzaliznytsia PJSC