Menu

Agenda 2015

Print this Page

 

 
  
 

14 October, 2015

19:00 - 21:30

Welcome Reception (by invitation only) 

Palace of Rituals

15 October, 2015

08:00

Registration 

Tbilisi Marriott Hotel 

09:00 - 09:30

Delegates gathering 

Rustaveli Theatre

09:45 – 09:55

Family Picture. Heads of Delegatons.

Rustaveli Theatre Ball Room.

10:00 - 11:30

Welcome speeches and adoption of Declaration of Cooperation 

Opening remarks: Dr. Hernando de Soto, Economist

Welcome Speeches:

  • H.E. Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
  • Xuekerat Zakir, Governor of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China, Head of China Delegation
  • Abid Sharifov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of Azerbaijan Delegation
  • Valery Dil, Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Head of Kyrgyzstan Delegation 
  • Bruce H. Andrews, United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Head of USA Delegation 
  • H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Social Development, Head of UAE Delegation 
  • Wencai Zhang, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  • László Baranyay, Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB)

12:00 –13:15

Panel discussion: “Revival of the Silk Road-new opportunities for enhancing trade  and economic cooperation”

  • What are the potential benefits of silk road revival (how can countries, businesses and communities benefit from improved cooperation within the region) 
  • What are the existing examples of successful cooperation in the region and current initiatives under way 
  • What obstacles exist to utilizing full potential of enhanced trade and economic cooperation and how  to overcome them 

Panel moderator:  Simeon Djankov; London School of Economics; Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria

Panel members:

  • Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
  • Dimitry Kumsishvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
  • Erbolat Dossaev, Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
  • Abdul Sattar Murad, Minister of Economy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
  • Wang Lixia, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province of People's Republic of China
  • Koray Targay, Ambassador, Special Representative for Silk Road, Turkey
  • Eva Molnar, Director of the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
  • David Shark, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

13:15-14:30   

Lunch

Tbilisi Parliament Building 

14:30-15:45

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel discussion: “Transport and Infrastructure: keeping up with demands of the cross-border trade”

  • What are the top priority projects for the region in transport and infrastructure for development of multilateral trade
  • How to ensure the most efficient access of regional companies to international markets
  • How effective communications can improve the dynamics of business interactions across borders
  • What role can PPPs play in improving transport, communications and infrastructure in the region​

Panel moderator: Axel Threlfall, Editor-at-Large Reuters; formerly anchor for CNBC; editor with The Wall Street Journal; reporter for Bloomberg.

Panel members:

  • Peter Gašperšič, Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia 
  • François Davenne, Secretary General of Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)
  • Mamuka Bakhtadze, CEO, Georgian Railway
  • Javid Qurbanov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (TBC)
  • Xiaohong Yang, Director of the Transport and Communications Division of Asian Development Bank
  • Vassilis Maragos, Acting Director for Neighbourhood East, Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission 
  • Tzvetelina Borislavova, Chairwoman of Board of Directors and CEO of Clever Synergies Investment Fund

15:45-16:15

Coffee Break 

Tbilisi Parliament Building 

16:15-17:30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel discussion: “Trade Facilitation along the Silk Road: overcoming key obstacles to harmonization ”

  • What are the main obstacles to increasing volume of trade within the region
  • What levers can governments use to facilitate trade (harmonization of procedures and regulations affecting movement of goods and services) 
  • How can participation of private companies in joint investment projects stimulate regional and international trade
  • How can international trade treaties enhance the competitiveness of private businesses and allow them to engage in global supply chains

Panel moderator: Andrew Chakhoyan, Head of Regional Strategies - Eurasia, World Economic Forum 

Panel members:

  • Jan Mládek, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic 
  • Giorgi Tabuashvili, First Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia, Director General of Georgian Revenue Service (GRS)
  • László Szabó, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary 
  • Jonathan Katz, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, USAID
  • Mircea Ciopraga, Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of IGC TRACECA 
  • Dmitry Cheltsov, General Delegate to Eurasia region, International Road Transport Union (IRU)

16:15 - 17:30

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel discussion: “The Energy Silk Road: pipelines and electricity trading across borders”

  • 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 cross-border electricity trading 
  • What are the significant regional projects that have been recently completed or currently underway
  • Can increased supply of electricity incentivize investments in energy intensive sectors

Panel moderator: Radoslav Dudolenski, Managing Partner of Hydrolea LLC; formerly CEO of EnergoPro Georgia

Panel members:

  • Ilia Eloshvili, Deputy Minister of Energy of Georgia
  • Bruno Balvanera, EBRD Director for Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus
  • Christopher D. Schlueter, BP Country Manager, Georgia
  • Robert F. Ichord, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources
  • Yang Yibo, Deputy Director-General of Energy Bureau of Xinjiang
  • Sohail Hasnie, Principal Energy Specialist of the Asian Development Bank

 

18:00-19:00

Transfer to Funicular restaurant 

 

19:30-22:30

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

Funicular restaurant

16 October

09:00-10:00         

Welcome coffee

Tbilisi Parliament Building

Panel Discussion

10:00-12:00        

Panel discussion: “Seizing Investment Opportunities in Georgia”

  • How can small countries like Georgia build competitive advantage on the global markets and become attractive destination for foreign investment
  • What incentive does Georgia offer to foreign investors: in terms of regulatory regime, taxation, customs procedures, international trade agreements
  • What are the sectors of Georgian economy that hold the highest investment opportunities

Keynote speakers:  

  • H.E. Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
  • Xuekerat Zakir, Governor of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China, Head of China Delegation

Panel moderator:  Sumnima Udas; CNN Delhi-based correspondent covering key political, economic, social and general interest news

Panel members:

  • Dimitry Kumsishvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
  • Dr. Hernando de Soto, Economist
  • Gabriel Schulze, Founder and Director, Schulze Global Investments
  • Jun Zhang, General Manager, Xinjiang Hualing Trade and Industry
  • Vladimer Ilichev, Regional Development Director, Russia and CIS, Hilton Worldwide
  • Archil Gachechiladze, CFO Bank of Georgia Group, Chairman of Galt & Taggart 
  • Giorgi Ramishvili, Founder  of Silk Road Group

12:00 -13:30

Networking lunch

Tbilisi Parliament Building

Parallel activities

13:30 – 18:00

B2B

One-on-one meetings between companies

Topical presentations

Session Room: 

13:30 - Making Business Easy in Georgia - Keti Bochorishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia

15:10 - Georgia: Logistics Hub - George Doborjginidze, Chairman of Georgian Logistics Association

16:00 - Real Estate Market in Georgia - Tom Day, Regional Director of Hospitality and Investor Services for Cushman & Wakefield Veritas Brown

Cinema Room

13:30 - Legislative environment in Georgia - Alexander Bolkvadze, Founder and Partner of BLC Legal Office

14:20 - Tax policy in Georgia - Ekaterine Kiknadze, Senior Manager at Tax & Law Practice, EY Georgia LLC.

15:10 - Poti Free Zone: Where Industries and Trade Meet - David Barker, Director of Poti Free Industrial Zone

Exhibition

Exhibition by Chinese companies

20:00-22:30

Dinner (by invitation only) 

Gujari restaurant in Mtskheta 
 

 

 

Welcome

  • Irakli Garibashvili
    Prime Minister of Georgia

    It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the 4th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum “Connecting Today, Resilient Tomorrow” which will take place in Tbilisi on October 26 -27, 2023. This important event will gather up to 2000 delegates, high-ranking officials, as well as business representatives from over 60 countries.

    More...



Organizer

Governmnet of Georgia Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Goergia

Partners

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

General Sponsor

BOG Bank of Georgia is a leading company in terms of loan portfolios, deposits, assets, and stock shares. It has a wide network of service centers and ATMs throughout the country and also has representative offices in London, Budapest, and Tel-Aviv. It is one of the largest employers in Georgia. Since its foundation, Bank of Georgia continues to emphasize several important directions: Education, the environment, and other important social issues. The Bank is a leader in payments business and financial mobile application, with the strong retail and corporate banking franchise in Georgia. Employee empowerment, customer satisfaction, and data-driven decisions, coupled with the strong banking franchise, are key enablers in enhancing and developing the Group’s strategic objectives. Visit the Page

Sponsors

GIG BAG Socar Pace Group is the largest Georgian-American transportation company with the port and logistics infrastructure, covering maritime agencies, brokerage, logistics, freight forwarding activities, container services, port, and terminal operator companies.  BICT

Supporters

Enterprise Georgia GEORGIAN NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION Georgia's Innovation and Technology Agency https://gcci.ge/en The "Economic Forum" was launched in October 2022 with the support of the Bank of Georgia. Today, NGO "Economic Forum" is already quite an authoritative discussion platform in the country. The main goal of the "Economic Forum" is to ensure a high-level dialogue between the state, private, analytical and academic sectors The project “Digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Eastern Partnership countries” is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine for the period from 03.2023 to 02.2026. The project beneficiaries are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
All Rights Reserved © 2024
Developed by Ideadesigngroup