The Ambassador of Norway to Azerbaijan & Georgia, Bård Ivar Svendsen, was invited to speak to visiting Norwegian students who partook in a four-day visit to Tbilisi to attend an anti-corruption course jointly organized by ISET and NHH (the Norwegian School of Economics).

HE Svendsen drew attention to Georgia’s favorable investment climate, with an increasing number of foreign entities becoming interested in doing business in Georgia, which has consistently risen through the rankings of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index.

The ambassador put particular emphasis on Georgia’s excellence in combating corruption and said that Georgia has outshone its neighbors with its many tangible results. He attributed Georgia’s success in this regard to the national mentality, which he claims is markedly different from those of other countries of the Caucasus; he also stated that this has led Georgia and Georgian society to become ‘more democratic’ than other nations of the region.

HE Svendsen then reaffirmed Norway’s support for Georgia’s NATO aspirations and pointed to the recent visit of Norway’s Minister of Defence as proof of Oslo and Tbilisi’s international partnership.

While discussing Georgia’s progress on its path to European integration, Ambassador Svendsen stated that he is personally delighted to represent a country that has rendered Georgia so much assistance.