Over the course of ten years of its fruitful work, the Covenant of Mayors East brought together national stakeholders, regional authorities, local governments, civil society, and communities from almost 500 municipalities from the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. With more than 42% of the total population living in the municipalities committed to CoM East objectives, there is a clear positive trend of local authorities in the region joining the initiative.

The cooperation within the initiative aims to embark on the path of energy and climate transition, share the experience among signatories of the project, exchange the best practices, take advantage of the technical expertise and funding opportunities, encourage each other, and jointly search for efficient solutions to shared obstacles.

Organised in the framework of the EU-funded project Covenant of Mayors – Eastern Partnership, the high-level conference “10^th Anniversary of the Covenant of Mayors in the Eastern Partnership Region” will take place on 29-30 November 2022 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Conference will host over 150 representatives, including local and national authorities, associations of local officials, and other stakeholders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, along with the EU institutions, EU Member States and international organisations’ representatives.

“I am very happy to see that the Covenant of Mayors initiative in the Eastern Partnership is ready to deliver on the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The ambition to cut emissions by 35% by 2030 demonstrates that your municipalities are truly stepping up to this challenge. With over 460 signatories, the Eastern Partnership region is a frontrunner and a great example for local authorities around the globe,” said Lawrence Meredith, Director for Neighbourhood East and Institution Building from the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) at theEuropean Commission.

During the Conference, speakers will present the progress achieved by the Covenant and its signatories, and will reaffirm the EU’s strong political will to support EaP authorities in designing and implementing sustainable policies. The event will offer opportunities for discussing the main bottlenecks and barriers encountered by the signatory cities, providing effective recipes for success. It will also outline the future of the initiative and EU support to EaP municipalities in the perspective of the Green Deal and other European initiatives. The workshops, taking place on the second day of the event, will create a space for dialogue between local, national, and EU representatives on the implementation of SECAPs, examples of demonstration projects, and climate policy objectives.

Along with the project’s 10^th Anniversary in the Eastern Partnership countries, the event also marks the launch of the CoM East third phase that started its work earlier this year. Moreover, from 2014 to 2021 a total of 33 Covenant of Mayors demonstration projects were implemented in the framework of the initiative with the budget of around 38.5 M€.

The Eastern Partnership countries, throughout the past ten years, were able to build a strong and supportive Covenant community, where both ministries and regional authorities’ associations play an important role by assisting the signatories in meeting their CO₂ reduction commitments and implementing climate change adaptation measures.

For further information about the event, please contact the CoM East Secretariat Communication Manager, Ms. Elena Nikitina (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), or visit our website where you can find all project-related information, including newsletters, action plans, and detailed information on all six Eastern Partnership countries available in all respective languages: https://com-east.eu/en/

Сегодня в Национальной туристической зоне «Аваза» Президент Туркменистана Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов встретился со Специальным представителем Генерального секретаря ООН, главой Регионального центра ООН по превентивной дипломатии для Центральной Азии (РЦПДЦА) Натальей Герман, принимающей участие в Консультативной встрече глав государств Центральноазиатского региона.

Одной из главных тем обсуждения стала повестка дня проводимой встречи высокого уровня, на которой предстоит рассмотреть конкретные совместные шаги по дальнейшему развитию многостороннего сотрудничества, укреплению стабильности и безопасности в регионе, а также возможные пути решения возникающих вопросов с привлечением опыта и возможностей авторитетных международных структур, в том числе специализированных агентств Организации Объединённых Наций.

Поблагодарив Президента Гурбангулы Бердымухамедова за инициативный подход туркменской стороны к актуальным проблемам современности и конструктивную внешнеполитическую стратегию, руководитель РЦПДЦА подчеркнула, что Туркменистан, накопивший за годы своего суверенного развития солидный миротворческий опыт, выступает в качестве важного и долгосрочного партнёра ООН.

В этой связи отмечался весомый вклад Туркменского государства в урегулировании региональных конфликтов, в частности, оказание практической помощи соседнему Афганистану в построении мирной и благополучной жизни, восстановлении социально-экономической инфраструктуры за счёт реализации значимых проектов в приоритетных сферах.

Отметив, что очередная консультативная встреча глав государств Центральной Азии является зримым подтверждением готовности государств региона решать все проблемы сообща и в тесном партнёрстве с заинтересованными мировыми структурами, собеседники выразили уверенность, что консолидация совместных усилий и выработка согласованных подходов к выстраиванию политико-дипломатического, торгово-экономического и культурно-гуманитарного диалога позволит придать региональному партнёрству новые импульсы развития.

Выразив признательность за активное содействие Регионального центра ООН по превентивной дипломатии в Центральной Азии укреплению регионального сотрудничества в целях обеспечения мира и всеобщей безопасности, лидер нации подчеркнул, что Туркменистан рассматривают ООН и входящие в неё организации в качестве несущей опоры всей современной системы глобального взаимодействия, гаранта сохранения и поддержания мира, устойчивости существующей архитектуры безопасности.

В завершение встречи Президент Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов и руководитель РЦПДЦА выразили взаимную заинтересованность в продолжении установившегося продуктивного взаимодействия во имя достижения общей цели – устойчивого развития Центральноазиатского региона.

760 fintech applicants from CEMEA region entered the competition with innovative payment and commerce solutions to solve the payment challenges of tomorrow

Tbilisi, June, 10, 2021 – Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) Visa today announced the regional winners for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) in its Visa Everywhere Initiative, a global innovation program and competition for startups and fintech companies.

First place for CEMEA and $15,000 in prize money went to Payze of Georgia. Payze now advances to the global finals being held on September 14 with $100,000 in prizes available including $50,000 for the overall winner.

Founded in 2020 by Giorgi Tsurtsumia and Kakha Gelashvili, Payze is an innovator of financial transactions, helping businesses in CIS countries accept payments from around the world through a single integration. By April 2021 Payze has been processing more than serving more than 200 merchants growing 35% month over month in gross transaction volume.

“We are excited  and proud to share that the winner of Visa Everywhere Initiative in CEMEA is originated from Georgia. The fact that the Georgian startup became the main finalist of Visa Everywhere Initiative in CEMEA among 760 applicants proves that Georgia is not only the world’s leader in contactless payments, but also has a great influence on the world’s fintech map. We are proud, that Visa, leading the way in the development of cashless economy in Georgia and the Caucasus region, is an active initiator of a such range of programs and strives to create a stable cohesion between the ideas and their implementation connecting fintech companies and traditional players of the financial system all over the world. Success attend you during the finals, Payze!”,mentioned Diana Kiguradze, Country Manager for the Caucasus region.

Also honored at the June 9 CEMEA regional finals was Safepay of Pakistan, which took the Audience Favorite award and $10,000 in prize money. 

TechCrunch is a leading online publisher focused on the tech industry, being the heart of the global startup ecosystem. As a media partner of Visa Everywhere Initiative, TechCrunch hosted the CEMEA regional finals in the live-streamed format. Thanks to their continuing support, the finalist virtually presented their solutions to the payment challenges of tomorrow to an expert panel of judges.

The expert panel of judges included:

• Shereen Abdulla, Senior Manager, DIFC Fintech Hive;
• Neil Caldwell, Senior Vice-President, Head of Merchant Sales & Acquisitions, Visa CEMEA;
• Ines Rocha, Director for Financial Products, SME Finance & Development Team, EBRD; 
• Tad Tilahun, Senior Vice-President, Head of Products and Solutions, Visa CEMEA;
• Otto Williams, Senior Vice-President, Head of Partnerships, Innovation & DigitalSolutions, Visa CEMEA;
• Rena Zuabi, Value Creation, Disruptive Investments, Mubadala.

 "Winning Visa Everywhere Initiative is a testament of the hard work our team is putting forward, and we are extremely proud of this achievement. It was fascinating and at the same time challenging experience competing against the best startups in the region, but it was a growth point to us as a startup which has been contributing to the process of receiving and managing online payments of any tech company or person in the CIS region. We are grateful to Visa for providing all 760 applicants in CEMEA with this unique opportunity and believe that the tools and technologies Visa offers are crucial for the further development of payment ecosystem”, told Giorgi Tsurtsumia, co-founder, Payze.

The Visa Everywhere Initiative helps fintech innovators in two ways: as a program, it plugs them into the network of startups that our product teams from all over the world access when searching for solutions; and as a competition, it gives them a forum in which to make a pitch to a panel of payments experts, win prizes and gain wider attention.

The competition is tailored to startups and fintechs with great products already in market and gaining traction - and looking for an extra push from a global, trusted brand like Visa to gain scale.

In all, five companies advanced to the CEMEA regional finals. Besides Payze and Safepay, the other three finalists were:

• Habtamu Tadesse, Founder & CEO, ArifPay, Ethiopia
• Alexander Grishin, Executive Director, Corp.bank, Russia
• Michael Femi Simeon, Co-Founder & CEO, VPD Money, Nigeria

The focus of this year’s competition is on products that deliver innovative payment and commerce solutions to consumers and businesses. These encompass the market areas of: Enablers of digital services and digital issuers; Digital issuance; Value-add for merchants and/or consumers in regard to finance; and Small to medium-sized business recovery. In overall more than 2000 applicants participated in the competition.

In the global finals, which will be live-streamed on TechCrunch, Payze will compete against regional winners from Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.

About the Visa Everywhere Initiative

The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a global, open innovation program that tasks start-ups and fintechs to solve payment and commerce challenges of tomorrow, further enhance their own product propositions and provide visionary solutions for Visa’s vast network of partners. The program launched in the U.S. in 2015 and quickly expanded into a global program with more than 7,000 participating startups. To date, startups have collectively raised over $2.5 billion in funding, and the program has been activated on six continents - touching more than 100 countries. For more information, visit visa.com

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About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere.  As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa, visa.com.ge, facebook.com/VisaGeorgiaGE

News Release of the Visa

Kyiv, Ukraine – July 4, 2019 - Visa today announced the appointment of Cristina Doros as Visa Country Manager for Caucasus region. In her new role, Cristina Doros will focus on growing the electronic payments business in Caucasus region by increasing Visa’s footprint in these markets, and enhancing value it provides to banks, merchants, and cardholders.

“We are excited to announce the appointment of Cristina Doros to the position of Country Manager of Caucasus. With proven management and leadership skills, an in-depth knowledge of payments and a strong understanding of the regional business, I am confident that Cristina will lead the business to greater heights reflecting the importance we place on the countries of Caucasus region,” said Vira Platonova, SVP, Group Country Manager for Visa CISSEE.

Cristina Doros brings more than 20 years of experience in retail banking, information technology, innovations, cards and mobile payments. Since 2016, Cristina joined Visa to lead the regional Core Products team, and has been acting Vice-President, head of Solutions, Visa CISSEE since 2019 overseeing Core products (Debit, Credit and Premium), Loyalty platform development, Digital Solutions and Push Payments, all foundational for the proliferation of electronic payments. Remarkable milestones of Cristina’s professional successes include enhancement of Premium benefits, launch of Loyalty program in Ukraine and Belarus, contribution to launching Tap to Phone SME technology, etc.

“After my fascinating experience as a head of Visa CISSEE Products team, I am thrilled to lead Visa business in the Caucasus region. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to bring more innovations and benefits to our clients and partners and to strengthen our presence in the market, shaping the future of payments and driving innovations across the region.”- CristinaDoros said.

***

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce.

For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.

About Visa

Anna Serdyuk

Director, Corporate Communications

Visa CIS&SEE

+38 044 22 00 300

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On the 8th of May 2019, a briefing was held in the framework of the events dedicated to the foundation laying of the new, social-production complex in Serdar province of the Balkan region.  This event was organized with the aim of informing the larger community about the Turkmen Lake “Altyn Asyr,” including its significance in the sphere of environment protection and development of social-economic system of Turkmenistan and the region in general.   

The high-level foreign guests, heads and representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Turkmenistan, international organizations and programs, international experts, as well as the representatives of national and foreign mass media took part in the briefing. 

The authorized representatives of UN agencies and OSCE gave speeches during the briefing where they specifically noted the significance and scale of the man-made Turkmen Lake “Altyn Asyr” that is being constructed in the heart of the Karakum valley.     

Then the Scientific-practical conference was held dedicated to the importance of Turkmen Lake which is a grand hydro-technical project aimed at the amelioration of environment, including the rational use of water and land resources.  The key officials of Turkmen higher educational institutions, scholars, experts, as well as the representatives of national mass media attended the conference.    

During the conference, it was noted that Turkmen Lake “Altyn Asyr” will undoubtedly make a vital input to the development of social and economic system of the country.  

After the events, the excursion by boat and bus along the Turkmen Lake “Altyn Asyr” was organized for the participants of the event that was also complemented by a promenade.  Here, the participants could get acquainted firsthand with the transformations in the Karakum valley that took place after the construction of the reservoir that is being replenished by wastewaters from the agricultural fields of the country.    

Generating project ideas, devising projects and teamwork were the major topics of a recent EU-supported youth summer camp, organised by the Akhalkalaki Local Action Group in the Kakheti region of Georgia.

During the summer camp, participants had the opportunity to raise awareness about the history of the region, visit cultural, historical and recreation sites, and receive information about the academic programmes of local educational institutions. Moreover, the young people learned traditional local crafts, such as the art of patterning and creating Georgian tablecloths and local cuisine.

The camp’s main topics were regional development and tourism, in which Kakheti region has great potential.  

The event was held within the framework of the EU-supported project “Promoting a New Rural Development Approach in Akhalkalaki”, which is supported in the framework of European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).

The EU is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through the ENPARD Programme. Implemented since 2013, the main goal of ENPARD is to reduce rural poverty in the country.

We are the only country in the region having simultaneous free trade with Europe as well as China, - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has declared at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, in response to one of the speakers Anil Gupta’s question. 

Gupta showed interest how the Silk Road initiative will help the country in trade when trade deficits are observed. 

According to the PM Georgia follows the openness principle in this respect. 

‘We do our best to have open trade networks and agreements on free trade. Of course, we refer to no protectionism to create some barriers for importers. We protect their interests… Georgia has free trade with the EU on the basis of the DCFTA Agreement. We also enjoy free trade with CIS, Turkey. Recently we have signed an agreement with China. So, we are the only country in the region having simultaneous free trade with Europe and China. We have also launched negotiations over free trade with India and if we follow and execute all the agreements, Georgia will become a very good place for logistics, transit and trade,’ Kvirikashvili has said. 

The Georgian PM has also focused on importance of using the Silk Road initiative at the maximum level. 

The officers of Ozurgeti police division of Guria police department along with Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti police department as a result of searching and investigative activities held on the basis of operative information detained N.S. (DoB 1988) for illegal purchase, keeping and smuggling of drugs in large quantities.
N.S. was detained while he was traveling by the mini bus in Ozurgeti. During the personal search police seized 0,6344gr of heroin containing substance and 8 pills of methadone. Detainee has already pleaded guilty.
Investigation is in progress on the fact of illegal purchase, keeping and smuggling of drugs in large quantities and smuggling, article 260 I and III pars of the Criminal Code.

Georgia is the most economically and politically stable country in the region – this statement was made by the Vice President of EIB Laszlo Baranyay at the meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
According to him, European Investment Bank plans to double investment in Georgia in next year. The sides highlighted implementing projects financed by EIB. Giorgi Kvirikashvili presented 4 level plan to the representatives of European Investment Bank and talked about the importance of projects in Georgia.