Georgia Plans Free Economic Zone

Georgia plans to set up a free economic zone in Poti on the Black Sea coast in 2007, President Mikheil Saakashvili said on December 27.

While addressing Georgian business circles, Saakashvili said that the country made a huge step forward in respect to the creation of a favorable business climate in 2006, but added that even more needs to be done to attract more foreign investments next year.

?We want to create a free economic zone on the Back Sea coast – and it will not be an economic zone covering only the port [in Poti]. It will serve the entire region, including Samegrelo, Guria and Adjara… This will be a zone with zero bureaucracy, where registration of a new enterprises will be able to be done in 15 minutes, disputes will be solved in two hours? This zone will be linked to a new transport infrastructure including the [Baku-Akhalkalaki-] Kars railway – the construction of which we plan to launch next year – the new airport in Batumi and a new highway,? Saakashvili said.

An idea about setting up of free economic zone in the Adjara Autonomous Republic was unsuccessfully lobbied by ex-Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze. The central authorities in Tbilisi were always cautious about the defiant Adjarian leader?s ambitions to set up a special economic zone in Adjara.

Saakashvili said on December 27 that free economic zones are effective ?in countries where there is a strong government.?

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