“The visit and meetings of the Georgian delegation within the framework of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings in the United States proved to be highly productive,” said Natia Turnava, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, summarizing the outcomes of her visit to the U.S.

According to her, it was an intensive week filled with important and high-level meetings and discussions.

“We discussed both ongoing and future areas of cooperation. In the near future, we expect several IMF missions to visit Georgia, including the so-called Article IV Consultation, which provides a comprehensive assessment of our economic situation. As you know, the previous review resulted in a very positive report, highlighting Georgia’s economic growth and resilience to various shocks, as well as the effectiveness of our monetary policy. We are confident that the upcoming review will yield equally positive assessments. We also have ongoing technical assistance missions and projects with the IMF. We have requested that this cooperation be further enhanced and expanded — a proposal that was met with a positive response,” noted Turnava.

The Georgian delegation included Minister of Finance Lasha Khutsishvili, Vice Governors of the National Bank of Georgia Ekaterine Mikabadze and Ekaterine Galdava, Deputy Minister of Finance Ekaterine Guntsadze, and Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Vakhtang Tsintsadze.

Throughout the week-long visit, Natia Turnava held meetings with Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF; Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department; and Alejandro Hajdenberg, Head of the IMF Mission to Georgia.

She also met with Antonella Bassani, the World Bank’s Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, and Eugene Rhuggenaath, Executive Director of the World Bank.

In the framework of bilateral cooperation, the NBG Governor met with Sanjay Malhotra, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, where it was agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the central banks of Georgia and India.

As part of the visit, Governor Turnava also held meetings with investors from major U.S. investment firms — J.P. Morgan, Citibank, and Bank of America — where she presented Georgia’s investment potential and macroeconomic environment to representatives of leading international investment funds and institutional investors.

During her visit to the United States, the NBG Governor participated in a high-level roundtable discussion organized by the IMF, as well as in a meeting for central bank governors and finance ministers from the Caucasus and Central Asia region.