Exclusive: Georgia seeks aquaculture cooperation with Azerbaijan, Gubianuri says

Georgia is interested in working with Azerbaijan on aquaculture, Elene Gubianuri, head of the National Environment Agency under Georgia's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, told Report.

Gubianuri said Georgia was developing its aquaculture sector and wanted to learn from Azerbaijan's experience in fish farming, including its standards, support programs and incentives for private businesses.

"We would be delighted to work with our Azerbaijani colleagues. We would like them to share their experience in fish farming, including the standards they apply and the support they provide. We want to know what incentives are available to private businesses, how outreach campaigns for entrepreneurs are run and how investment is attracted to aquaculture," she said.

Gubianuri highlighted Azerbaijan's experience in marine aquaculture, particularly in sturgeon farming and caviar production. She said Georgia was ready to share its own experience and suggested setting up a regional working group.

"If our Azerbaijani colleagues are interested, we can explain how we developed our legal and regulatory framework in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We could also set up a regional working group where all neighboring countries could come together for productive discussions," she said.

"Azerbaijan has extensive experience in marine aquaculture, particularly with sturgeon species. We would like to learn from our colleagues at every stage, starting with how permits are issued. We also want to understand how licenses are checked and what steps the government takes to encourage private investment."

Gubianuri said Georgia was also introducing new technologies and digital tools in the sector.

"We already use electronic logs for inspections and data collection. As I understand it, Azerbaijan is making similar changes, so exchanging experience would be valuable. Azerbaijan is one of the region's leaders in sturgeon and caviar production, and it is important for us to understand the technologies it uses and how its industry operates," she said.

"I would like to see a more developed aquaculture sector across the region, especially in Georgia, with more fish farms and higher production. In time, countries may be able to replace some imports with domestic production," Gubianuri added.