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• Visa and Rooms Hotels Partnership in Georgia Embarks on New Phase

  Tbilisi, Sep 06, 2023 – Visa, the world leader in digital payments, and Rooms Hotels, world known brand in the hospitality industry from Georgia, announced a new stage in their partnership, engaging Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) expertise and innovative solutions to support Rooms Hotels.  

  The new partnership sees VCA playing a key role in providing strategic support to Rooms Hotels by allocating Visa consulting and various other Visa functions in joint projects. The partnership aims at creating exclusive offers for Visa cardholders at Rooms Hotels.

  The launch of the new collaboration was marked by the special event held in the Rooms Hotel Courtyard in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi. The happening featured the representatives of Rooms Hotels and Visa, including Valeri Chekheria, Rooms Hotels Lab CEO, Roberto De Meo, Vice President of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, and Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager for the Caucasus Region. 

  “Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) Team is delighted to partner with Rooms Hotels, a leading hospitality brand in Georgia and a name known worldwide for its portfolio of innovative and design-oriented hotels that cater to different segments of travelers. VCA's rich global expertise, knowledge, unique insights, and local experience can benefit Rooms Hotels with a deeper understanding of the latest and emerging trends, market dynamics and customer needs in the hospitality industry - all of which are critical to further improve offerings and services to most demanding clients,” Roberto De Meo, Vice President of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, said.

  VCA represents a major source of value for Visa, with experts in strategy, product, portfolio management, risk, digital, and more with decades of experience in the payments industry.

  “We are celebrating yet another great milestone in our years-long partnership with Rooms Hotels.Our companies started collaboration 3 years ago, and together, we've redefined what it means to provide remarkable experiences for guests and Visa cardholders. Customers will get more tailored offers and better customer experiences matching their travel profiles and expectations when staying at Rooms Hotels. Visa remains steadfast in fortifying the local business ecosystem in the country and fostering tourism ecosystem development,” Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager in the Caucasus Region, said. 

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  Valeri Chekheria, Chief Executive Officer. Valeri is a business leader, hospitality consultant and dedicated philanthropist. Before joining Slow end-2021, he led Tbilisi-based Adjara Group building a diverse portfolio of renowned hotels and trend-setting entrepreneurial projects. Prior he served as Chief of Staff to the Georgian Minister of Economic Development and the Minister of Finance. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. In 2018, Valeri was appointed as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

  About Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA)

  Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) is the payments consulting arm of Visa. We are a global team of several hundred payments consultants and data scientists across six continents. Our consultants are experts in strategy, product, portfolio management, risk, digital and more with decades of experience in the payments industry. Our data scientists are experts in statistics, advanced analytics and machine learning with exclusive access to insights from VisaNet, one of the largest payment networks in the world. The combination of our deep payments consulting expertise and our breadth of data allows us to identify actionable insights and recommendations that drive better business decisions.

  To learn more about VCA, please visit https://www.visa.com.ge/en_GE/services/visa-consulting-analytics.html 

  About Visa

  Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.

  Learn more at visa.com.ge

• US labels Foreign Agents bill setback to Georgia's aspirations, US ability to be Georgians' partners

  “We see a draft piece of legislation that would be a tremendous setback. This would be a setback to the aspirations of the people of Georgia; it would be a setback to the ability of the United States to continue to be a partner for the people of Georgia,” Ned Price, US Department spokesperson stated at the briefing.

  Ned Price commented on the People’s Power-tabled bill on the Transparency of Foreign Influence that the Parliament of Georgia adopted on March 7th in its first reading.

  According to the spokesperson, “anyone who is voting for this draft legislation would be responsible in part for jeopardizing those very Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people.

  “You asked about the feeling here. The feeling here is one of deep concern. You have heard us express that sentiment consistently in recent days. It is a feeling of deep concern because of the potential implications of this draft law. This draft law would strike at some of the very rights that are central to the aspirations of the people of Georgia for a consolidated democracy, for Euro-Atlantic integration, and for a brighter future. It would stigmatize and silence independent voices and citizens of Georgia who wish to do nothing more than work together to build a brighter future, a future that is integrated with Europe, a future that is democratic and free, where Georgia is an independent and sovereign country,” Ned Price has said.

  The spokesperson went on to say that the US was “deeply concerned and troubled, of course, for what this could mean for the people of Georgia.”

  “We are so deeply concerned and troubled, of course, for what this could mean for the people of Georgia, but also because the United States has been a partner to Georgia over the course of recent decades. Ever since Georgia declared its independence, the United States has been right there with it supporting the aspirations of the Georgian people. And at the earliest days of Georgia’s independence, those aspirations were nascent. They were nothing more than an idea in some cases.

  Over the course of ensuing decades, the people of Georgia have worked to realize those aspirations. They have made tremendous progress in becoming the democracy that they sought from those earliest days, in integrating Georgia into the Euro-Atlantic community and ensuring that Georgia stays on that path.

  Now, however, we see a draft piece of legislation that would be a tremendous setback. This would be a setback to the aspirations of the people of Georgia; it would be a setback to the ability of the United States to continue to be a partner for the people of Georgia. I made this point yesterday, I think it was, but anyone who is voting for this draft legislation would be responsible in part for jeopardizing those very Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people. We don’t wish to see that happen. Beyond the United States, it is the EU, the UN, of course most importantly the Georgian people, Georgian civil society groups – all of them have issued strong statements of concern about this draft legislation,” Ned Price stated.

  The State Department spokesperson also stated that “the best counterexample is the United States partnership with Georgia,” as the United States are concerned, that partnership could be – at least in part – jeopardized should a law like this move forward.

  “The best example is the counterexample. It is an example of the type of partnership that the United States Government can have with people and countries that aspire to continue down that path of democracy, of democratic reform, of integration with Europe and the broader Euro-Atlantic region. I think the best counterexample is the United States partnership with Georgia, if you want to look at what that partnership can look like, what that partnership can feel like, and how, as we are concerned, that partnership could be – at least in part – jeopardized should a law like this move forward.

  Ultimately, these are going to be the decisions of the Georgian people and the Georgian Government. It is our strong hope that the Georgian Government listens to the Georgian people. The Georgian people are speaking with a clear voice. Right now, we’re seeing some of those clear voices, those loud voices drowned out by tear gas, by efforts to suppress those – that peaceful exercise of freedom of assembly. That’s of concern to us. But ultimately, we think it’s important that governments around the world, including, of course, the government in Tbilisi, listens to its people,” Price stated.

  Alluding to a question whether “there is anything that prevents the United States Government from sanctioning Mr. Ivanishvili, “who is obviously bringing up this sort of legislations,” Ned Price stated: “I don’t speak to specific individuals or entities who may be subject to U.S. or other sanctions, but we have a number of tools within our purview that would allow us to hold accountable anyone in any country around the world who is responsible for the suppression of what would otherwise be a universal human right. There are authorities that are written into various laws, into executive orders that we will look at closely in this context, as we do in any context, to hold to account those who may run afoul of what the Georgian people want and, most importantly, what the Georgian people expect and deserve in terms of their universal rights.”

  Source: https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/us-labels-foreign-agents-bill-setback-to-georgias-aspirations-us-ability-to-be-georgians-partners/

• EU Covenant of Mayors marks 10th anniversary in the Eastern Partnership region

  Over 200 representatives of local and national authorities from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the EU Member States have met in Tbilisi for a two-day conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the EU Covenant of Mayors in the Eastern Partnership region.

  A series of discussions organised throughout the event included a regional workshop hosted by the EU4Climate project, a joint EU and UNDP initiative to assist Eastern partnership countries in fulfilling their climate pledges.

  The workshop participants discussed the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and low-emission development strategies on local and regional levels.

  Find out more

  Press release

• EFSE and Lazika Capital form a new partnership to advance local currency lending in rural Georgia

  Luxembourg and Tbilisi, 29 December 2021 - The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) has committed to provide USD 2.5 million equivalent in Georgian lari (GEL) to its new partner, Lazika Capital, to expand access to finance in local currency for the underserved micro and small size enterprises (MSEs), including individual entrepreneurs, farmers and agricultural producers in rural Georgia.  

  As a microfinance organization serving over 15,000 rural and semi-urban MSEs, Lazika Capital is well positioned to channel responsible financing to the target group in an effective and impactful way. By obtaining financing in Georgian lari, the micro and small enterprises can fund their growth and increase their business resilience, viability and stability in the longer run, while being protected from the exchange rate fluctuations – a risk that can materially compromise operations.

  EFSE Board Chairperson Klaus Müller said, “Lazika Capital is a promising partner in joining efforts with EFSE to increase the level of financial intermediation and economic development in rural Georgia. This investment will expand the capacities of Lazika Capital to finance the underserved groups, thus contributing to furthering EFSE’s mission to promote economic prosperity in the region.”

  “Since Lazika‘s creation and still, we have been very much committed to bringing something more added value than just access to finances. And the fact that we are well noted by EFSE, is a honor and additional motivation for us,” said CEO of Lazika Capital, Besik Shengelia.

  Through this investment, Lazika Capital is expected to contribute towards the achievement of SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

   

• Prime Minister of Georgia Met US Congressmen Visiting Georgia on His Invitation

  Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia met US Congressmen visiting Georgia on his invitation today.

  Meeting held at the Government Administration was focused on the highest level of strategic partnership between the United States and Georgia, which is once again evidenced by the growing cooperation between the two countries.

  Congressmen visiting Georgia are co-sponsors of the Georgia Support Act initiated at the House of Representatives in the US Congress, for which the Prime Minister of Georgia expressed his gratitude.

  US support in the institutional building of Georgia, increased capability of defense, implementation of democratic reforms has been highlighted at the meeting. It was also noted that Georgia continues to carry out reforms for the consolidation of democratic achievements in cooperation with US and other western partners.

  The Prime Minister of Georgia expressed gratitude to US Congressmen for the bipartisan support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, in peaceful conflict resolution, non-recognition policy and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Georgia.

  Discussions were also related to the local elections, thereby noting that Georgia stands ready to hold them in a free, fair and transparent manner. It was also noted that the Government of Georgia welcomes the active engagement of international observers in the election process and stands ready to admit as many organizations of such mandate as possible.

  Black Sea security was also reviewed at the meeting. It was noted that Georgia remains to be a reliable partner of the USA in the region.

  Topics discussed at the meeting included the current situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. It was noted that in the conditions of complicated situation, unlawful occupation of Georgian territories by Russia, uninterrupted provocations and borderisation, visit of US Congressmen is particularly important for the country. Focus was made on the significant role of Georgia in the international security and peace operations. Particularly noteworthy was the crucial role of Georgia in the emergency evacuation of people from Kabul.

  Economic relations between the USA and Georgia were also discussed. It was noted that further advancement of trade and economic relations with the United States, as well as the launch of negotiations on free trade with the United States are among the top priorities of the Government of Georgia.

  Readiness was expressed at the meeting towards continuing the close cooperation between the USA and Georgia both at the executive and legislative levels for the extension and deepening of the strategic partnership.

  Delegation of US Congressmen included: Alexander Xavier Mooney for West Virginia, Bryan George Steil for Wisconsin, Kelly Michael Armstrong for North Dakota, Carol Miller for West Virginia, Rep Ron Estes for Kansas. US Congressmen represent various committees. Visit has been organized by the US-Georgia Friendship Association. It also includes the Association President and Honorary Consul of Georgia in San-Diego Melory Tsipuria.

  Meeting held at the Government Administration was attended by David Zalkaliani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; Ilia Darchiashvili, Head of Government Administration; Giorgi Tsikolia, Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Envoy of Georgia to the United States of America.

  Press Service of the Government Administration