European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Vice President for Policy and Partnerships Mark Bowman and Eastern Europe and Caucasus Executive Director Matteo Patrone will visit the Caucasus on January 16-19, first visiting Armenia, then Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The visit follows EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso's last visit to the Caucasus in September. The purpose of the trip is to discuss upcoming projects in both the private and public sectors. Also on the agenda are discussions on financial stability, policy reforms, and preparing the bank's forthcoming new strategies.

The delegation will first go to Yerevan, where EBRD representatives will meet with the political leaders of Armenia. The visit will include meetings with diplomats, international partners, leaders of the business community, and the bank's existing partners. The team will also visit the RA Central Bank to meet with the president and deputy.

During the Georgian part of the trip, the delegation will have high-level meetings with the political leadership of Georgia. EBRD representatives will also meet with diplomats, regional heads of international financial institutions, and the secretariat of the Georgian Investors Council.

While in Tbilisi, Mr. Bowman is also expected to sign a sovereign loan agreement with the Georgian Ministry of Finance to rehabilitate and upgrade 12 metro stations in the capital.

The delegation will end its visit to Baku, where EBRD representatives will meet with the political leadership of Azerbaijan. The visit will include meetings with representatives of the diplomatic community, international development partners, and existing business clients of the bank. The team will also visit the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.

Since its launch in the Caucasus in 1992, the EBRD has invested more than €10 billion in more than 650 projects in the region's financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, most of them in the private sector.

Details of upcoming investment projects in the Caucasus are available here.