Georgia: challenges and opportunities

Georgia is a rather small country situated on the edge of Europe, on the cross-roads of Europe and Asia, providing strategic connection between the East and the West and the North and the South. Its statehood counts thousands of years, but it was annexed by Russia several hundred years ago. Not until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 did it finally regain its independence, though 20 per cent of its territory has since 2008 been illegally occupied by Russia. As a leader in terms of the democratic reforms in the region, Georgia has an open, free and inclusive society with a competitive and vibrant economy.