The former Georgian Minister of Economy, Giorgi Kobulia, explained in an interview with the Forbes Week why he left his government post, reports civil.ge. “The real reason for my departure was that I came to realize that we (Kobulia and Bakhtadze) were not compatible in regards to our visions and principles, which I thought had been the case in the beginning,” Kobulia said.
Kobulia confirmed reports that the Georgian Dream leader insisted on his resignation before deciding to fire him. “There was a request that I resign, but I did not do it because until the very last moment I had hoped that I would be able to convey my visions to the ruling party and convince them.”
When asked who he was talking to on the matter, the former economy minister said: “I was primarily communicating with the Prime Minister, but, of course, we also went over the issue with the ruling party leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili.”
Kobulia refrained from giving additional details on what he termed as a “conflict” and a “dispute” with Georgian Dream leaders, but said that “there was a set of decisions that I thought were more politically-driven than result-oriented, and I disagreed with these decisions and refused to implement them.”
Kobulia also touched upon the state of Georgia’s economy, saying the pace of its development is satisfactory when compared to other countries in the region. He, however, stressed that the 4%-5% GDP growth is produced “largely by inertia,” and is driven by “a very low starting point and relatively liberal legislation.The Georgian economy has a much greater potential and if we manage to use this potential to the maximum extent possible we can reach a 7% to 9% growth rate, we can practically double our economic growth,” he added.
For that, according to the ex-minister, the country needs to enhance the effectiveness of its state institutions, including the quality and the pace of decision-making. He also said the authorities need to improve mechanisms for investor support and focus on the sectors where Georgia enjoys a competitive advantage, including mineral resources and the power generation.
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