G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Tokyo, Japan, have reaffirmed their readiness to continue to support Ukraine and to increase economic pressure and impose robust sanctions and other restrictions against Russia.

The Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union took part in the meeting.

“We will reinforce our coordination on sanctions to restrict Russia’s access to critical goods and technology. We will take further action to prevent the evasion and circumvention of our measures against Russia,” ministers said in a joint statement. “In order to reduce the revenues that Russian extracts from its exports, we will accelerate our consultation on energy, metals, and all non-industrial diamonds, including those mined, processed or produced in Russia.”

They also reaffirmed that, consistent with their respective legal systems, Russia’s sovereign assets in their jurisdictions would remain immobilised, “until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine”. 

The ministers also said that “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its announced deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable”. 

“Any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. We deeply regret Russia’s decision to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We strongly support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) continued presence and unfettered access at all of Ukraine’s civil nuclear sites,” the statement said.

Concerning the South Caucasus, G7 ministers expressed their grave concern over the humanitarian consequences of the displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh after the military operation conducted by Azerbaijan. They urged Azerbaijan to fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and welcomed international efforts to address urgent humanitarian needs for those who had been displaced.

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On November 1, 2023, a meeting of the Foreign ministers took place in Ashgabat within the framework of the “Central Asia-Republic of Korea” cooperation format.

The current meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea was devoted to the topic “Cooperation through the realization of the enormous potential of youth in shaping a sustainable future in Central Asia and the Republic of Korea”. This formulation is reflected in the joint efforts of the participating countries of the Forum to develop an agenda that determines the key areas of further partnership for the coming years, where the role of youth and its potential, which are being formed today, will be of decisive importance.

During the meeting, participants spoke out on current regional issues, issues of implementation of youth policy in each of the countries participating in the Forum, and also presented specific measures and steps taken within the framework of national plans and programs. The parties put forward a number of important ideas and initiatives to join forces in further expanding and strengthening international cooperation, including through youth interaction aimed at achieving sustainable development goals in general.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov, speaking at the meeting, emphasized that 2023 in Turkmenistan has been declared the Year of youth and this is very symbolic from the point of view of the implementation of the concept of Turkmen chairmanship at the current meeting of the “Central Asia-Republic of Korea” Cooperation Forum.

The conviction was expressed that the potential of young people in the process of forming sustainable development should be realized by intensifying their participation both in the implementation of national plans and programs, and by expanding international cooperation in this area. At the same time, the importance of the global initiatives “Youth 2030”, “Generation Without Borders”, “World Heritage Volunteers”, and the Global Youth Community was noted.

In this context, the Turkmen side marked expediency in the near future to focus joint activities on strengthening ties on the youth format and to formulate a Strategy for international cooperation between the youth of the Central Asian states and the Republic of Korea, the main components of which should be concentrated on such key areas as education and science, sports and culture. In this regard, it was proposed to consider the possibilities of joint training of personnel in “double degree” programs, expanding digital knowledge among young people, creating an International Student Center and an Institute for supporting the development and introduction of innovative ideas of youth, developing the “Young talents” program, preparing a Roadmap for Intercultural Exchanges for 2025-2030, holding international youth sports games of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, etc.

During the speech of the delegation of Turkmenistan, the opinion was also expressed that when carrying out activities in the abovementioned and other areas of youth cooperation, close interaction with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Foundation (KF), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), as well as national and international partners is necessary.

There was also a constructive exchange of views on key issues on the regional and international agenda and a common view was expressed on the commitment to maintaining solidarity and joint efforts to ensure global long-term peace, security and stability. The ministers emphasized the importance of the Forum’s activities as a regular multilateral consultative platform and its contribution to strengthening practical cooperation between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.

Speaking about the relevance and prospects of parliamentary diplomacy as an effective tool for global interaction in ensuring peace, security and stability, the ministers highly appreciated the results of the first meeting of the Chairmen of the Parliaments of the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea, which took place in September this year in the Republic of Korea. The heads of delegations welcomed the decision to hold the second meeting of this format in 2024 in Ashgabat.

One of the priority objectives of the “CA-RK” cooperation format is partnership in the economic sphere. In this context, it was emphasized that the presence of Korean business in Central Asia and the implementation of joint projects in various fields can significantly and positively influence the development of the region and provide new prospects for a broad and mutually beneficial international partnership.

The participants expressed a common opinion on the need and importance of concentrating efforts on promising areas of interaction in the “Central Asia-Republic of Korea” cooperation format, ensuring synergy and using existing objective advantages and resources. Along with this, emphasis is placed on deep historical and cultural ties, the similarity of basic values and moral guidelines of the peoples of the region.

As the participants noted, the Ashgabat Forum demonstrated that the consistent strengthening of ties, increasing the economic potential of cooperation, logistics opportunities, the formation of effective cooperation schemes in science, education, medicine, tourism, in the field of environmental protection, joint development of projects in the field of industry, agriculture, textile industry, high-tech industry, digitalization, cultural and humanitarian interaction meets the genuine interests of the peoples of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea, serves the goals of economic and social growth.

Following the results of the 16th Cooperation Forum “Central Asia-Republic of Korea”, a Joint Statement of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs was adopted, and the Work Plan of the Secretariat of “the Central Asia-Republic of Korea” Cooperation Forum for 2024 was approved.

The next meeting of the Forum in this format is scheduled for 2024 in the Republic of Korea.

Productive cooperation between Georgia and Federal Republic of Germany in various directions, progress achieved by Georgia on the path of European integration and implementation of recommendations issued by the European Commission for obtaining the status of an EU Candidate Country were among the topics discussed by and between Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia and Annalena Baerbock, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany today.

The Foreign Council of the European Union reached political agreement for a 7th tranche of military support to Ukraine worth €500 million. 

The Council also agreed on an additional assistance measure worth €45 million for the Ukrainian forces being trained by the EU’s military training mission, EUMAM Ukraine. This brings the total military support under the European Peace Facility to €3.6 billion. According to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, the EU’s military, financial, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine has now reached nearly €50 billion.

Before the Council discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed EU foreign ministers via video conference and briefed them on recent developments on the ground and on Ukraine’s current priorities.

Regarding the creation of an accountability mechanism, EU foreign ministers stressed the importance of preserving the crucial role of the International Criminal Court in international criminal justice and expressed broad support for the establishment of the International Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague as a first step.

Regarding the effectiveness of sanctions, Josep Borrell noted that Russian oil (Urals) sells for US $40 a barrel while Brent sells for US$80. “This means that the Russian oil is being sold at a discount of 50%, and it is being bought by mainly India and China,” said Borrell. “So, it is losing US$40 per barrel. It is a big hit on Russia’s financial stability.”  

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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