European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Vice President for Policy and Partnerships Mark Bowman and Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Matteo Patrone will tour the Caucasus from 16 to 19 January, first visiting Armenia, then Georgia, before concluding their trip in Azerbaijan.
The visit follows EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso’s recent tour of the Caucasus in September. The purpose of the trip is to discuss upcoming projects in both the private but also public sectors. Discussions on financial resilience, policy reform and the preparation for the Bank’s upcoming new country strategies are also on the agenda.
The delegation will first travel to Yerevan, where the EBRD representatives will meet Armenia’s political leaders. The visit will include meetings with diplomats, international development partners, leaders of the business community and the Bank’s existing partners. The team will also visit the Central Bank of Armenia to meet the Governor and his Deputy.
On the Georgian part of the trip, the delegation will hold high-level meetings with Georgia’s political leadership. EBRD representatives will also meet diplomats, regional heads of international financial institutions and the secretariat of the Investors’ Council of Georgia.
Read also
While in Tbilisi, Mr Bowman is also expected to sign a sovereign loan agreement with the Ministry of Finance of Georgia for the rehabilitation and upgrade of up to 12 metro stations in the capital.
The delegation will conclude its trip in Baku, where EBRD representatives will meet Azerbaijan’s political leadership. The visit will include meetings with representatives of the diplomatic community, international development partners and the Bank’s existing business clients. The team will also visit the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.
Since the start of its operations in the Caucasus in 1992, the EBRD has invested more than €10 billion in over 650 projects in the region’s financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, with the majority of these investments in the private sector.
