Papuna Lezhava, Vice Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, participated in Mediator - The Role of Media on Economic Reform Agenda, the Panel discussion held with the aim to increase media involvement in the development of economic governance in Georgia and to support the media on economic issues. The event was organized by the ISET Research Institute, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the USAID Economic Governance Program, and Internews Georgia.

Papuna Lezhava discussed the importance and influence the media has in shaping public opinion, and educating the population, as well as in the development process on the whole. The speaker noted that the National Bank prioritizes transparency and communication, and relations with the media are of great importance. The National Bank is keen to cooperate with all types of media and keeps the public informed about its activities on an ongoing basis. He highlighted the reforms implemented by the National Bank to improve the transparency and communication of the public relations process and highlighted the challenges in this area.

"As the Central Bank of the country, we have commitment within our mandate to take care of the long-term stable development of the national economy, price stability and the stable and efficient functioning of the country's financial sector. This often involves effective yet tough decisions. With no media support on this path, success is a hard task to achieve. We realize that we have to go through this difficult path in partnership with the media. We try our utmost to be open, to provide you with all the information and we are also open for suggestions, discussions and initiatives. I believe that both we and the media strive for the well-being of the country's population,"Papuna Lezhava said.