On September 18, 2023, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov held a meeting with the President of the European Council Charles Michel in New York.

As the head of state noted, Turkmenistan attaches great importance to strengthening friendly ties and constructive dialogue with the EU, which is expanding every year, covering new areas of interaction.

In this context, the successful cooperation of Turkmenistan with this international structure, both in a bilateral format and within the framework of the European Union - Central Asia Dialogue, was emphasized.

The European Union is a long-time partner of Turkmenistan in the implementation of a number of specialized projects and programs aimed at solving priority tasks for the further economic and social development of our country, including in the field of legislation, education, information and communication technologies, agriculture and water management, environmental protection, climate change, the head of state emphasized.

At the same time, it was noted that currently leading European companies are represented in many sectors of the Turkmen economy - in the oil and gas complex, transport, electricity, construction, communications and communications.

During the conversation, an interested exchange of views took place on the prospects for further interaction in the context of its key aspects and the existing diverse potential.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell, visiting Georgia today, held a series of meetings on EU-Georgia co-operation and Georgia’s European perspective.

Speaking at his first press conference yesterday after arriving in Tbilisi, Borrel said this was “a crucial time” for Georgia’s future because in a few weeks, the European Union would consider the next steps in Georgia’s path to the European Union and, for the first time, the report on Georgia’s progress as an enlargement country. 

“I want to be very clear in that important moment: the European Union’s door is open to Georgia and the European Union is committed to supporting Georgia on its path towards European Union membership,” said Borrell.

Today, Borrell met Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, to discuss Georgia’s path to the EU, as well as the regional security situation. 

He also met Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to “pass three messages”: “time must be used wisely now to advance reforms”, the EU welcomes Georgia’s support for Ukraine, and it remains steadfast in its support for Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The EU High Representative visited the Georgian Parliament to meet the representatives of all the political parties present in the Parliament. At the meeting, Borrell said that “polarisation is part of political life, but needs to be measured. All political parties must cooperate to advance the reform agenda”.

Finally, Borrell had an “important meeting” and “useful dialogue” with civil society representatives in Georgia. “Impressed by their work. Ensuring involvement of CSOs in the decision-making processes at all levels is key,” wrote Borrell on X (formerly Twitter) after the meeting.

Tomorrow, the High Representative will visit the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia and participate in mission activities along the Administrative Boundary Line, organised by the EUMM.

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A delegation from the committee for European Union affairs of the German Bundestag will visit Georgia from May 2^nd to 5^th, 2023. Members of the delegation are: Christian Petry (SPD, Head of delegation), Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU/CSU), Michael Sacher (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN), Thomas Hacker (FDP) and Dr. Harald Weyel (AfD).

During the visit, meetings are planned with the Minister of Justice, H.E. Rati Bregadze, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, H.E. Levan Davitashvili, and Deputy Foreign Minister, H.E. Teimuraz Janjalia.

Furthermore, the delegation will hold talks with the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili and the chairmen of several committees of the Georgian Parliament.

The program is completed by exchanges with representatives of civil society, the media, business and cultural institutions.

As Georgia submitted an application for membership to the European Union in March 2022 and has had the prospect of joining the EU since June 2022, the talks will concern necessary reforms and the structure of relations and cooperation between Georgia and the EU.

Against the background of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the focus will also be on coordinating questions of foreign and security policy, as well as on the regional effects of the war and geopolitical aspects.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council took place on 24 April, with the situation in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova as priority topics.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the EU ministers via video conference, and briefed them about the latest developments on the ground and Ukraine’s military priorities and needs, especially in terms of ammunition and missiles. 

EU High Representative Josep Borrell highlighted that in total the EU and its member states have already facilitated the delivery to Ukraine of over €13 billion in military support. 

He also updated ministers on EU military support to Ukraine in the context of the three-track plan. On track one, the EU adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility worth €1 billion to address Ukraine’s most immediate needs. EU member states are also finalising work on track two, to facilitate joint procurement. Lastly, the European Commission will soon present concrete proposals on how to ramp up the European defence production capacity under track three.

Ministers were also informed about the activities of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), which has already exceeded its initial target by training over 16,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The EU aims to train a total of 30,000 soldiers by the end of 2023.

EU Foreign Ministers also held an informal exchange with the Georgian Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili, and confirmed that Georgia has made significant progress in many key reforms. They also highlighted that rule of law, human rights, media, civil society and independent state institutions are important elements for each country aspiring to join the EU.

Concerning Moldova, the Foreign Affairs Council established a new civilian EU CSDP partnership mission (EUPM Moldova), reached a broad agreement on a new framework for sanctions against those who destabilise the country, and on allocating further €40 million coming from the European Peace Facility to support Moldova’s defence capabilities.

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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, together with a delegation, has set out on a visit to Belgium.

From 2024, nationals of all 59 countries across the world that enjoy visa-free travel to the EU, including Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, will be required to obtain ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) travel authorisation. This is a new requirement introduced by the European Union to enter any of the 27 Schengen countries, Bulgaria, Romania, or Cyprus.

ETIAS is an online travel authorisation, not a visa.

With a valid ETIAS travel authorisation, you will be able to stay in any of the 30 European countries for 90 days in any 180-day period.

To apply for ETIAS you must have a passport valid for more than 3 months, provide an email address, complete the online form and pay a fee of €7.

There is only one official ETIAS website: europa.eu/etias. The application form will be made available on this website once the system is launched.

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On 17 April, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reiterated their support for Ukraine for as long as needed, and their determination to provide continued security, economic and institutional support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future and deter future Russian aggression. 

The G7 also remains committed to intensifying sanctions against Russia, coordinating and fully enforcing them, and countering Russia’s and third parties’ attempts to evade and undermine sanctions. The ministers also said that “any resolution to the conflict must ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused” and that “there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure”.

G7 Foreign Ministers called Russia’s nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus “irresponsible” and “unacceptable”. “Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences,” said ministers in a statement.  They also condemned Russia’s continued seizure and militarisation of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), “which could lead to potentially severe consequences for nuclear safety and security”.

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The EU and UNDP are supporting a partnership agreement signed between twelve municipalities of the Imereti region in Georgia and a number of waste and packaging organisations, aiming to develop better, more efficient and sustainable waste management systems.

“Developing a public-private partnership on waste collection, separation, and recycling is important for a circular economy as it allows resources to be collected and reused more efficiently,” says a press release from UNDP Georgia.

The initiative was supported by the ‘EU innovative action for private sector and competitiveness in Georgia’ project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP Georgia, as part of the wider EU4Business programme, which promotes private sector development in Georgia.

The partnership agreement was signed between the twelve municipalities and the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), Georgian Packaging Waste Producers Union ‘Georgia Plus’, PMAG Packaging Cluster, and Georgian Waste Management Association (WMA Georgia).

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HMM (Hyundai Merchant Marine), a leading shipping company in the Republic of Korea, on Thursday opened a new direct container shipping route linking north China's Tianjin Port with major European ports.

According to the company, HMM will put 12 24,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) ultra-large container ships into weekly operation.

The shipping route will connect Tianjin with major European ports, including Algeciras in Spain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany and Antwerp in Belgium.

The maritime route aims to offer convenient and efficient shipping services for exports of China-made mechanical and electrical equipment and daily necessities.

Tianjin Port is a major port in north China. Its container throughput exceeded 21 million TEUs last year, ranking eighth globally.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service

On 3-5 April, Pawel Herczynski, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, visited the Imereti region for the first time. During the three-day trip, the Ambassador visited projects supported by the EU Delegation to Georgia and implemented by local action groups in Kutaisi and Tskaltubo.

In Kutaisi, the ambassador visited the Colchis Fountain, which has been rehabilitated with EU funds. The project is part of the joint regional development programme between the European Union and the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia. The objective of the programme is to reduce regional disparities, improve people’s living conditions and develop the economy in the regions of Georgia. In total, over GEL 65 million have been transferred to Imereti in 2021-2022 to develop 71 projects in various municipalities.

The Ambassador then visited the first green waste composting centre in Kutaisi, established with the financial assistance of the EU. The centre is the first facility in Western Georgia that composts biodegradable waste and contributes to the improvement of the environment in the municipality.

Ambassador Herczynski also met with personnel of the employment centre, as well as local young people who have developed new skills and found employment thanks to EU support channelled through the Education Development and Employment Centre (EDEC).

In Imereti, Ambassador Herczynski also visited Akaki Tsereteli Kutaisi State University, where he met students and answered their questions about EU-Georgia relations. The Ambassador also travelled to Tskaltubo to meet with the members of the Local Action Group and local businesses, supported by the EU.

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