Dentons’ Tbilisi office has continued its tradition of supporting the Arbitration Initiative Georgia (AIG) by providing both professional and financial assistance in organizing the 15th Tbilisi Vis Pre-Moot competition.

“This year, we were particularly inspired by the diversity represented throughout the event, diversity of jurisdictions, academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and perspectives. Bringing together participants from different legal systems and cultures created a truly dynamic exchange of ideas and reinforced the global nature of our profession. “- commented Tbilisi Vis pre-moot team.

Among many well-regarded lawyers from Georgia and other jurisdictions, Lela Basilaia represented Dentons Georgia as an arbitrator at the Pre-Moot. She judged at hearings involving four university teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, and Saudi Arabia: Free University of Berlin, Ruhr University Bochum, Prince Sultan University, and Masaryk University.

Dentons Georgia is proud to continue this tradition and remain actively involved in such an important initiative, which aims to promote arbitration and encourage students’ engagement not only in Georgia but across the region.

“We have supported the Vis Pre-Moot for many years. We are proud to provide both financial and intellectual support to the organizers of the Pre-Moot and, through this initiative, contribute to the development of the legal professional community in Georgia,” said Otar Kipshidze, Managing Partner of Dentons Georgia.

The Tbilisi Vis Pre-Moot is an annual event organized by Arbitration Initiative Georgia since 2010. It serves as an international preparatory round for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Since 1994, the Vis Moot has been held annually in Vienna, Austria, bringing together more than 300 law schools from around the world and inspiring the organization of more than 20 Pre-Moot competitions globally each year. It is the largest arbitration moot competition and the second-largest moot court competition worldwide.

***

About Dentons

Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information visit dentons.com

The insurance company Ardi and the Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili Georgian National Ballet “Sukhishvili” are starting a new stage of cooperation — a partnership that involves professional talent insurance and which is still the most innovative type of insurance in Georgia.

Years ago, the insurance company Ardi insured all members of the Georgian National Ballet, setting the first precedent for talent insurance in our country. This relationship moved to a new level in 2026.

The renewal of cooperation was officially signed on the stage of the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater, before the anniversary concert of the “Sukhishvili”, where a great history began 80 years ago. This evening, the signing of a historic memorandum between Ardi and “Sukhishvili” took place, which provides for the insurance of the ensemble’s genius and professional talent.

The Sukhishvili Ensemble is one of the most distinguished representatives of authentic Georgian culture — a troupe that has represented Georgia on the world’s great stages for decades. Last year’s anniversary year was marked by a performance on the legendary Carnegie Hall stage in New York. It is a special responsibility for Ardi to be the partner and insurer of the Georgian National Ballet “Sukhishvili”.

The insurance fully covers all members of the ensemble – both dancers and musicians, and is valid both in Georgia and during international tours to any country in the world.

According to the General Director of “Ardi”, Mikheil Japaridze: “This is not another insurance cooperation between two organizations — this is the introduction of a new vision for the insurance market and our cultural sphere. Years ago, we wanted to create a practical, real care tool for those outstanding professionals whose work is related to supernatural talent. We started to instill this idea with the Sukhishvili, and the tradition continues. The total insurance limit of the troupe is 1 million GEL, which any of its members can use in the event that any of them, due to an unforeseen accident or injury, cannot continue their professional activities. We believe that if the world’s biggest stars have their professional talent insured, the genius of the Sukhishvili in our country should also benefit from a similar unique service. So, this time it’s the turn of insured dancing.”

According to Nino Sukhishvili, Such support is especially important for the ensemble members: “Professional security is the basis of any creative activity. This cooperation allows us to continue with more peace of mind the work that we have been doing for years and that often requires difficult and hard physical labor.” According to the insurance company Ardi, the company plans to connect talent insurance to other — both already famous and rising — stars for whom talent is their main professional activity and daily working environment.

We are pleased to share that we have acted as the Georgian legal counsel to the Lender in connection with the USD 150 million loan facility granted to TAV Georgia, a member of Groupe ADP. This financing supports the next phase of development at Tbilisi International Airport, including a significant expansion program set to double the airport’s annual capacity to 10 million passengers, and includes a concession extension for TAV Georgia through 2031. This transaction marks a significant milestone in Georgia’s infrastructure development, strengthening Tbilisi’s position as a regional aviation hub.

Our Team on this transaction was led by Partner Sophie Panjikidze, together with Senior Associate Nino Gobejishvili and Associates Tekla Megreli and Nino Karalashvili. We congratulate our team, as well as all parties involved in this important transaction and their respective legal counsel on this success.

Gvinadze & Partners LLC is a leading Georgian business law firm celebrating three decades of legacy of serving and promoting business and investment in Georgia, and it is widely recognized as the highest quality legal service provider in all key practice areas including Banking and Finance.

BDO Caucasus & Central Asia (CCA), a new unified regional firm, has officially launched, integrating 5 countries: Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. As a part of the BDO global network, the 5th largest audit and accounting firm in the world, this landmark integration is positioned to leverage unparalleled global resources to establish a new standard for professional services and drive economic development across the region.

BDO firms collectively provide professional services in more than 165 countries, supported by 119,000+ people working from more than 1,750 offices worldwide.

Vision for a Stronger Regional Firm

The creation of BDO CCA directly addresses the complex challenges faced by modern professional services, including navigating tightening regulations, a demanding talent market, accelerated technological investment, and rising client expectations that require both deeper expertise and broader capabilities.

BDO CCA is the strategic answer to these demands. The platform’s primary objective is to create a space for shared vision, collaborative development strategy, and comprehensive knowledge exchange, transforming national partnerships into a powerful, unified regional force. By integrating the collective experience, human resources, and innovative approaches of the five countries, BDO CCA will build a stronger, more flexible, and highly competitive professional services firm.

Strategic Leadership Appointment

To lead this significant regional integration and growth, BDO CCA will be governed by an Executive Committee (ExCo) and announces the appointments of key leaders who will drive the unified strategy across the regional firm:

Zurab Lalazashvili, formerly the Managing Partner of BDO Georgia, has been appointed as the Regional CEO of BDO CCA and a member of the BDO CCA ExCo.

Vahagn Sahakyan will serve as the Country Managing Partner of BDO Armenia and a member of the BDO CCA ExCo.

Maia Khachidze will serve as the Country Managing Partner of BDO Georgia and a member of the BDO CCA ExCo.

Davron Yakubov will serve as the Country Managing Partner of BDO Uzbekistan.

Trond-Morten Lindberg, BDO’s Chief Strategy and Operations Officer and incoming Global CEO’s Statement:

“The launch of BDO Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) is a powerful, strategic realization of our global vision to greater network integration. Integrating five countries into one cohesive regional firm, means leveraging collective resources to achieve scale, drive innovation, and deliver the seamless, high-quality client experience that BDO’s regional and international clients demand. This model is key to securing BDO’s sustainable growth and reinforcing our leadership position in this rapidly developing region.”

Regional CEO Statement

Zurab Lalazashvili, Regional CEO of BDO CCA, comments on the launch:

“BDO CCA brings together our collective strengths to create a new model of regional integration. By combining the experience and capabilities of five countries, we are building a stronger, more agile, and more sustainable organization. Our aim is to form the leading regional professional services firm in the Caucasus and Central Asia – one that effectively unifies expertise, resources, and operational standards across the region. This is a strategic investment in regional progress and in the economic future we are shaping together.

Mr. Lalazashvili further clarifies the structural benefits:

“This will be a single partnership under an unified management – one firm in five countries. The main purpose of this model is to unify our knowledge, expertise, and human capital, enabling us to offer a more diverse and comprehensive suite of services to regional and international clients, backed by the strength of the 5th largest global network.”

Country Managing Partners Statements 

Maia Khachidze, CMP, BDO Georgia comments: 

“This new regional step will bring renewed energy and opportunities for BDO Georgia. Our expanded regional presence, BDO CCA, allows us to offer more effective support and additional expertise to Georgian companies looking to enter or grow their businesses in the region, while also sharing knowledge and embracing new perspectives from our partner countries. We are focused on strengthening our team culture to ensure continuous development and maximize the professional potential of every employee.”

Vahagn Sahakyan, CMP, BDO Armenia said:

“BDO Armenia is proud to be one of the founding partners in this regional integration. For Armenia, BDO CCA represents an opportunity to scale our impact beyond national boundaries while maintaining the quality and client relationships we’ve built over the years. This regional model enables us to participate in larger, more complex engagements and attract top talent who see the career opportunities of a multi-country platform. This initiative reflects our shared vision with our colleagues in Georgia and across Central Asia to build something greater than any single country firm could achieve alone.”

Davron Yakubov, CMP, BDO Uzbekistan

“We are very excited about our regional cooperation model, as this will enable our young practice in Uzbekistan to grow dynamically and offer excellent quality service in even wider range of advisory and compliance services with faster mobility of expertise across the geographies. Our CCA region has a lot of similarities, therefore finding synergies and leveraging the strength of the individual jurisdiction will be achieved with ease, which should ultimately benefit our people as well as our clients.”

Alignment with Global Strategy

The BDO CCA model is a direct continuation of the BDO global network’s strategy, which has successfully established similar regional integration models around the world. This strategic move ensures BDO remains at the forefront of global professional trends, positioning regional unity and collaboration as the core axis of its development.

BDO CCA is poised to unlock new possibilities, broader scales of cooperation, increased international project involvement, and the strengthening of regional leadership for all member firms.