Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Jan Lipavský, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, the current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Today, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Anniken Huitfeldt, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Norway.

On 3 August 2022, in connection with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Japan, the Prime Ministers, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Georgia and Japan exchanged congratulatory letters.
The ceremony of handing over congratulatory letters was held simultaneously in Tbilisi and Tokyo. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aleksandre Khvtisiashvili, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, Akira Imamura took part in the ceremony in Georgia,  while the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Suzuki Takako and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Japan, Teimuraz Lezhava - In Japan.  
Japan was one of the first countries to recognize Georgia's independence in 1918, and since the first day of establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, it has been a consistent and strong supporter of our country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For 30 years, relations between Japan and Georgia have developed on the basis of common fundamental values - democracy, protection of human rights and freedoms, and the rule of law, and today it is an example of successful cooperation between independent states.
Special emphasis, in this regard, should be put on the dynamics of high-level visits between the two countries. Worth highlighting is the historic visit of the Japanese Foreign Minister, Taro Kono to Georgia in 2018, which gave an additional impetus to the future development of the existing ties. Various business forums and cultural events are held on a regular basis. Inter-parliamentary relations are at a high level, friendship groups have been established in the legislative bodies of both countries.
Special importance is attached to the deepening of bilateral economic relations between Georgia and Japan. It is worth noting that on 23 July  2021, the bilateral investment agreement "Agreement on Investments and Taxes" was signed between the two countries, which represents an important step forward in the development of economic relations.
The activities of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the assistance that this organization provides to Georgia in terms of implementing both educational and infrastructural projects are very important.

MFA of Georgia

Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the development of partnership between the two countries were the main topics of discussions between the Georgian Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili and the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu.
The meeting, which took place during the Prime Minister's visit to Madrid, focused on Georgia's efforts to become a full member of the European Union and Romania's support in this regard. The Romanian Foreign Minister welcomed the granting of a European perspective to Georgia, taking the country to a newer level of European integration.
Discussions focused on the steps taken by Georgia on the path to European integration and the progress on the  strengthening democracy and the rule of law, protection of human rights, good governance and economic development were underlined.
Highlighting Georgia's NATO integration process, the sides referred to the strategic documents adopted at the summit and their importance in further advancing NATO-Georgia cooperation.
It was emphasized that Georgia is one of the Alliance’s most reliable partners making a huge contribution to strengthening the overall Euro-Atlantic security.
The sides also discussed the situation in the occupied territories of Georgia and the security challenges.
Bogdan Aurescu reaffirmed Romania's strong support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For his part, Ilia Darchiashvili thanked his Romanian counterpart for Romania’s political and practical assistance provided to Georgia. The Georgian delegation led by the Prime Minister is participating in the NATO  Summit taking place  in Madrid.

MFA of Georgia

The level of five-sided cooperation since the previous meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states four years ago has grown markedly, which dictates the need for us to meet more often in this format, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, speaking on Tuesday in Ashgabat at a ministerial meeting ahead of the summit of the heads of states of the Caspian "five", noted that the Russian Federation expects that the launch of the mechanism of the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (CMFA) on a regular basis will bring the level of interaction to a qualitatively new level.

Lavrov noted that the Russian side is satisfied with the agreements on the final communique that were reached within the framework of the High-Level Working Group, whose experts were able to draw up a "very good and useful document" that will be submitted to the presidents on Wednesday.

Also, Sergey Lavrov, following the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caspian states, said that the relevance and inviolability of the principles of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea were confirmed - only the states located on the Caspian Sea have sovereign rights in relation to the sea and its resources. The parties reaffirmed the principles of the convention in other areas, and also agreed to continue work on strengthening and expanding the legal framework for cooperation in the region.

The countries confirmed that the presence of armed forces of non-Caspian countries is excluded in the Caspian Sea region, and navigation is carried out only by ships flying the flag of one of the coastal states.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili met with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Relations Council in Brussels.
The sides focused on Georgia's historic aspirations for Europe and the steps taken in this direction, including the applications for European Union membership by the Associated Trio countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and the procedures related to their self-assessment questionnaires.
The Ministers noted France's support for the European aspirations of the three states, highlighting the country’s role in the process given the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The ministers expressed the hope that the EU member states will support the European aspirations of the countries by granting them candidate status for membership.
The meeting also focused on the security environment in region and the challenges facing Georgia, as well as recent developments in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. Minister Le Drian reaffirmed the French Government’s firm support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Speaking about bilateral relations, Darchiashvili and Le Drian also reviewed relations between their states within the format of the Dimitri Amilakhvari French-Georgian political dialogue. The two ministers agreed to start preparations for the next meeting under the dialogue.

MFA of Georgia

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov held talks with UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh. The meeting took place on Monday via video link.

The diplomats noted the high level of confidential dialogue between the top leadership of the two countries and discussed constructive interaction within the framework of international organizations, primarily the UN, speaking in favor of continuing partnership in the implementation of peace-loving initiatives, the press service of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reports.

The Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan and the UAE assessed the trade and economic relations between the two countries and expressed interest in expanding business and investment ties.

The issues of preparation for the next meeting of the Joint Committee on Cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UAE, which will be held in Abu Dhabi, were considered. Its agenda will include partnership issues in such areas as the textile industry, fuel and energy complex, investment, ecology and food security, education, science and culture.

Ilia Darchiashvili, the former Head of the Government Administration, has been appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced on Monday.

Darchiashvili replaced David Zalkaliani who has been appointed Georgia’s Ambassador to the United States.

Ilia Darchiashvili served as Georgia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Poland, and as Ambassador-at-Large before that. He has years of experience in diplomatic work.

At different times, Ilia Darchiashvili served as First Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Executive Director of the Municipal Development Fund, while previously having been engaged in the private sector. Ilia Darchiashvili is a graduate of Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University and a holder of a master’s degree in business administration from Grenoble Graduate School of Business, France.

“It is unacceptable to discuss any referendum while Georgia’s territory is occupied by Russia. No referendum will have any legal force amid the occupation, especially against the backdrop of hundreds of thousands of our citizens being expelled from their homes as a result of the ethnic cleansing and not being allowed to return” - the Georgian Vice Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, David Zalkaliani said at a joint briefing following his meeting with his Danish counterpart, Jeppe Kofod.
The Georgian Foreign Minister said that the Government will not allow Georgia to be dragged into provocations or the dire consequences of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War to repeat again.
Zalkaliani stressed that Georgia remains consistent with and committed to its policy of peaceful de-occupation. “We will not use force to restore territorial integrity, this is our legal obligation, which the international community clearly supports” – he added.
According to Zalkaliani, Georgia remains committed to the engagement policy and is ready to share the benefits of EU integration with those Georgian citizens who live on the other side of the occupation line.  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are meeting in a small resort town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, local media reported on Thursday.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The three ministers are scheduled to hold separate press conferences following the talks in Belek, a resort town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting is "an important continuation of the negotiation process."

While Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, the negotiations ended without any substantial progress on ending the conflict.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service