In the context of its multi-year assistance program to develop commercial and trade curricula for the Diplomatic Training Center (DTC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), CLDP hosted a series of consultations in Washington, DC from May 16-22, 2013 in cooperation with Georgia’s MFA and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MOESD).  DTC was established in January 2012 to enhance the professional capacities of Georgia’s Diplomatic Corps by providing regular trainings and specialized courses on select topics of special importance. In an effort to develop the “economic diplomacy” curricula at DTC, CLDP is providing training for DTC trainers as well as for current and future Georgian diplomats on promoting Georgian exports, engaging potential foreign investors, and effectively taking part in trade negotiations.
 
The consultations for the delegation of ten officials were focused on commercial attaché tradecraft, economic curricula development, investment and export promotion, financing of trade, strategic partnerships, joint venture agreements, dispute resolution in international contracts and trade negotiations. The program included trade lawyers from the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), current and former economic attachés and commercial counselors, and advisors from the Court of International Trade, State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, Export-Import Bank, Select USA, the America-Georgia Business Council, and several investment and financial firms currently doing business in Georgia. Additionally, the delegates participated in a briefing and tour of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center as well as a 2-day joint venture negotiation exercise conducted by ISLP.
 

The knowledge and skills gained from these programs is intended to help Georgia’s diplomatic corps to: (1) promote trade and investment opportunities in Georgia; (2) act as an interface between Georgian firms interested in joint ventures and potential foreign joint-venture partners; and (3) identify potential foreign direct investors. The second phase of the program will take place July 9-11, 2013 at the DTC in Tbilisi, Georgia and will bring together Georgian diplomats from key markets for a Georgia-specific commercial diplomacy training.