Natia Turnava, Acting Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, participated in the economic and financial dialogue of the European Union in Brussels. The dialogue included notable participants such as the Georgian Minister of Finance, Lasha Khutsishvili, Deputy Minister of Finance, Ekaterine Guntsadze, and Head of International Relations at the NBG, Giorgi Edilashvili. This year marked Georgia's debut in the dialogue as a candidate country for the European Union.

Representatives from three EU member states Belgium (the current chair of the Council of the European Union), Hungary, and Poland (the future chair) also attended the meeting. Vincent VAN PETEGHEM, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Belgium, chaired the session.

The Council approved a joint conclusion highlighting the economic development and effective monetary policies of the participating countries, including Georgia. The dialogue focused on the current economic conditions in candidate and potential candidate countries and the steps taken toward monetary policy improvements. Emphasizing shared interests, participants acknowledged the significance of this dialogue in shaping responses to recent economic shocks and future challenges.

In her speech, Natia Turnava emphasized that proactive adjustments in monetary policy have helped maintain price stability in Georgia. Timely and sufficiently tight monetary policy has also reduced inflationary expectations.

She noted, "Since the beginning of 2023, the Georgian economy has maintained an inflation rate significantly below the target. In the near term, inflation is expected to remain below the target, and in the medium term, it is projected to gradually stabilize around 3%.” She also stated that the NBG is prepared to tighten monetary policy further and contain inflationary pressures if inflationary risks materialize.

Turnava highlighted Georgia's economic achievements, noting that the country's foreign exchange reserves reached a historically high level of approximately 5 billion USD by the end of 2023, and the current account deficit is at a historic low. She reaffirmed the stability of Georgia's financial sector and expressed gratitude to the European Central Bank for its partnership and cooperation.

The economic and financial dialogue of the European Union is an annual event attended by representatives of EU member states, candidate countries, their central banks, the European Commission, and the European Central Bank.