The Georgian embassy on Tuesday commemorated its national independence in 1918 from Russian imperial rule, which outlined the principles of sovereignty and democracy.

In 1921, Georgia was attacked by the Red Army, and went under Soviet control until 1991. Present-day Georgia is considered internationally as a dynamically developing country, according to the embassy.

A series of reforms have reduced bribery and bureaucracy and enlarged society and economy. Georgia is 15th in the world in the ease of doing business, according to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2015 report.

The Heritage Foundation this year ranked the country 22nd internationally in economic freedom, with great openness to foreign equity ownership.

At the reception at Lotte Hotel, some 50 ambassadors paid a visit, including U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert. “The Georgian ambassador is a very popular guy on the diplomatic circuit,” Bulgarian Ambassador Petar Andonov told The Korea Herald. 

Georgian Ambassador Nikoloz Apkhazava said: “Georgia will continue on the reform path to modernize its economy and mature its democracy. We will actively participate in regional and transcontinental projects in infrastructure, energy and transport.”

He added, “Georgia’s geostrategic importance in the Europe-Asia corridor gives its attractiveness as a global logistics and transit hub. Investing in Georgia will significantly cut transport time and money.”

Georgia and Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, and the Georgian embassy opened its office in Seoul in August 2011. The Korean embassy will open in capital Tbilisi this year.

Bilateral trade volume increased over 17-fold in the last five years, with Korean conglomerates ― Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, as well as medium-sized enterprises Dohwa Engineering and Pyunghwa Engineering, investing in Georgia.

Apkhazava said that Georgia’s foreign policy priority is to be a full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO. The country signed the Association Agreement with the EU in June last year, laying the groundwork for adopting European norms and standards.

Georgia is also cooperating with NATO through the Membership Accession Plan for national security and stability. It aims to establish a NATO training center in Georgia.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)