The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has met with the members of the Council Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia
On 29 September 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili held a conclusive meeting with the representatives of the Council Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia (COEST).
The sides focused special attention on granting a European perspective to Georgia and the efforts made in this regard. The COEST delegation once again congratulated Georgia on the European Council’s historic decision of June 2022 officially paving the way for the country to join the European Union. The European Union emphasized once again its firm support for Georgia's European future, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Yesterday's visit of the Belarusian delegation to the occupied territory of Abkhazia was strongly and unanimously condemned.
The COEST delegation also welcomed Georgia’s impressive progress on the road to European integration and its comprehensive reforms.
Within the framework of the meeting, the sides discussed Georgia’s foreign policy priorities, the security environment in the region and the current situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. Special emphasis was put on the need of the European Union’s active involvement to address the threats facing the region.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs once again confirmed the Georgian government’s strong readiness to implement the country's European agenda and priorities, including its obligations under the Association Agreement.
The COEST delegation evaluated its visit to Georgia highly positively.
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FM meets EU Commissioner for Energy
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili met the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the sides spoke about Georgia’s EU integration process and the significance of the European Commission’s recommendation to the European Council to grant candidate status to the country.
The FM and EU Commissioner positively assessed Georgia-EU cooperation in the energy sphere, stressing Georgia’s role in ensuring the energy security of Europe with the Black Sea Submarine Electric Cable and other global energy projects that the country joined.
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MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CYPRUS
On October 23, 2023, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus Constantinos Kombos.
During the discussions, the ministers emphasized the relevance of developing political and diplomatic interaction. In particular, the expediency of parallel accreditation of ambassadors in both countries was noted. In addition, the heads of foreign ministries discussed issues of cooperation on the platforms of international organizations as a tool for strengthening interstate relations.
The need to create an appropriate legal framework was emphasized. In this context, the parties expressed mutual interest in developing a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and Cyprus.
The ministers also noted the potential for the development of trade and economic interaction. In this regard, it was proposed to hold consultations on the exchange of business delegations and the identification of specific areas of trade and economic cooperation.
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As part of the ministerial meeting Central Asia-EU, held in Luxembourg on October 23, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov held bilateral negotiations with the European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.
The main focus was on regional initiatives of the Team Europe program. These discussions created the basis for an in-depth dialogue on the possibility of cooperation in the fields of energy and transport. Turkmenistan's progress in the process of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) was also presented. The head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan noted that the Turkmen side highly appreciates the EU’s support in this direction.
J.Urpilainen emphasized the readiness to provide technical assistance, taking into account Turkmenistan’s desire for WTO membership and the reforms being carried out in this regard.
The main discussion during the meeting concerned the energy sector, in particular hydrogen energy, reducing methane emissions and converting natural gas. The Foreign Minister gave examples of joint projects between Turkmenistan and «GIZ» in the field of hydrogen and methane research.
The parties emphasized the need for a systematic approach to energy projects and emphasized the importance of jointly developing an Action Plan for cooperation in this area.
R.Meredov also informed the European Commissioner about the development of a Road Map for 2023-2024, aimed at developing international cooperation and studying the issue of Turkmenistan joining the Global Methane Commitment.
J.Urpilainen noted that the European Union is considering the possibility of concluding an agreement with the GIZ project in the field of green energy, which is aimed at developing initiatives in this area.
In the context of the ongoing work to create a specialized mechanism for coordinating the activities and initiatives of the Team Europe project, the head of the European structure invited Turkmenistan to actively interact with the EU within the framework of this new mechanism.
Opportunities for cooperation in the field of digital communications and water management were also discussed, given the relevance of the latter issue for the region. The EU Commissioner highly appreciated the effectiveness of the Team Europe program in the field of digital integration and confirmed the readiness to intensify cooperation with Turkmenistan in this direction.
During the meeting, J.Urpilainen conveyed an invitation to the Turkmen delegation to the Investor Forum, which will be held in Brussels in January 2024.
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On October 22-23, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov has been staying on a working visit to Luxembourg to participate in the 19th ministerial meeting “Central Asia - European Union”.
The event is attended by the foreign ministers of the countries of Central Asia and the European Union in the “5+27” format. The purpose of the meeting is to outline plans for the development of regional cooperation, as well as exchange views on current issues on the global and regional agenda.
In the framework of the working visit of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, a number of bilateral meetings are planned to discuss issues of intensifying and expanding both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
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On 2 May 2023, within the framework of his visit to the State of Israel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, met with representatives of the Georgian diaspora.
Within the framework of the meeting, Ilia Darchiashvili introduced the state diaspora strategy and emphasized the priority importance of working on diaspora issues. He also spoke about the initiatives and innovations the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has implemented to ensure effective communication with the diaspora.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also spoke about the important role of the Georgian diaspora in preserving national and cultural identity abroad, promoting Georgia and building up a positive image of the country.
Ili Darchiashvili thanked the diaspora representatives for their participation in the meeting and expressed readiness for further intensive communication with them.
