Businesswomen build ties at Turkish forum

Four Georgians took part in the First International Businesswomen Forum in Mersin, Turkey from March 12–15.

“It was interesting and useful for my business… The Turkish Embassy gave us a wonderful opportunity,” Georgian businesswoman Maia Simsive said after the forum.

Simsive, who owns a chain of beauty salons in Kutaisi, says she made a number of useful contacts at the forum that may help her develop her business.

“I always wanted to change some things, to bring new equipment into my business, and [at the forum] I met businesswomen from Italy and Egypt who not only gave me advice, but also promised me help in future,” another Georgian businesswoman, Nino Gedenidze, told the paper.

The Georgian delegation said the event could benefit Georgia at the national level as well as the individual business level, with foreign businesswomen expressing interest in investing in the country.

“I talked to many businesswomen from different countries about Georgia, the business situation here, and many were interested—I hope they’ll follow it up with a visit and maybe some future investments,” Simsive said.

The Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi sent representatives to the forum to help promote good business relations between the two countries, Turkish diplomats said.

“This appears to have been very beneficial for commercial relations between Turkey and other countries. I think other countries should organize similar events,” remarked Aziza Kato, a representative of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in Egypt.

“The common trait of women participating in our forum is that they are all well-educated. In order to make democracy stronger, to develop better well-being, we have to defeat obstacles to women receiving education,” Cavidan Demirag, president of the Association of Enterprising Businesswomen, said during the opening presentation of the forum on March 13.

The Georgian delegation received invitations from Egypt and Greece who plan to host similar events in the near future.