On February 25, 2023, the Deputy minister of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan V.Hajiyev met with the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Council of Road Workers (ICRW) of the CIS Buri Karimov.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the main areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the ICRW, as well as the prospects for the development of international transport corridors in the region.

An exchange of views took place on the initiative participation of Turkmenistan in the global transport dialogue, comprehensive national programs were noted aimed at modernizing the material and technical base of the transport industry, expanding existing and forming new transport and communication networks to integrate the domestic transport system into the international transport infrastructure, creating in our country large logistics centers providing regional coordination of multimodal transportation.

Issues of preparation and holding of events of the Intergovernmental Council of Road Builders were touched upon, including the upcoming 46th meeting of the ICRW, as well as the possibility of organizing an international scientific and practical conference in Ashgabat and the 6th international motor rally.

In this context, B. Karimov noted the importance of the 6th international motor rally, designed to help improve the condition and development of international transport corridors, including roads, road safety, and reduce the number of barriers to traffic and cargo.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation in organizing and holding joint upcoming events.

On November 14, 2022, in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, a meeting was held between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajyiev and the delegation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) headed by the Director of the Department of Labor Standards, Ms. Korin Varga.

During the course of the meeting, it was noted that Turkmenistan, being a member of the ILO, is committed in its policy to creating conditions for decent work and social justice for all.

The parties discussed the accession of Turkmenistan to international conventions and multilateral agreements, including international documents of the ILO. It was emphasized that Turkmenistan has ratified all the Fundamental Conventions, 2 of the 4 Guiding Conventions and 1 technical convention.

V.Hajyiev said that work in this direction is progressing. Thus, on April 19, 2022, Turkmenistan ratified the Act on Amendments to the ILO Constitution of June 24, 1986. Currently, the Government is studying the issue of joining another Guiding Convention - this is Convention No. 81 on Labor Inspection in Industry and Trade.

Regarding the request of the ILO to organize visits to the velayats of Turkmenistan by a mission of high-level ILO experts, the readiness of the Turkmen side to organize study visits and meetings with the leadership of the region and relevant local authorities was confirmed.

Within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili met with his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto.
At the meeting, the sides reviewed the agenda of cooperation between the two countries.
The Ministers stressed that Georgia-Finland cooperation has been successfully developing for over 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Special attention was paid to Georgia's European integration as the main direction of the country's foreign policy. Ilia Darchiashvili thanked his Finnish counterpart for his strong support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the country's European aspirations, and stressed the importance of international support in the difficult security environment in the region and in the world in general.

MFA of Georgia

11 May 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and the Italian Republic.
Throughout this not very short space of time, relations between the two countries continue to be based on key democratic principles and values being an essential prerequisite for further deepening the existing partnership and taking it to a qualitatively higher level.
Georgia and Italy enjoy close and fruitful cooperation, including in priority areas such as trade and economy, defence and security, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, innovations, education and culture.
Given the current economic challenges and opportunities, special attention needs to be paid to the great potential for economic cooperation between the two countries. Italy is one of Georgia's important trading partners - in 2021 trade turnover increased by 58%. The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU paves the way for new opportunities for bilateral cooperation. An increasingly greater number of Italian entrepreneurs and companies are interested in Georgia's investment potential.
In the face of the country's occupation and growing foreign threats, Georgia attaches particular importance to defence and security cooperation with Italy. Italy is actively involved in the development of the Georgian School of Defense Institution Building (DIBS) and is also interested in cooperating with Georgia in the field of military industry. It should be noted that Italy strongly supports the strengthening of Georgia's national security and the restoration of its territorial integrity. The clear position of Italy, as well as other European partners, is particularly important in terms of strengthening Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration, de-occupation of the country and non-recognition policy of the occupied territories.
The introduction and development of cultural and educational projects also remains an important priority in the relations between Italy and Georgia. Cooperation in the field of education is quite diverse and includes scholarships regularly announced by the Italian Embassy, the Innovation Agreement between GITA and the Italian agency - COTEC, Cooperation between the LEPL International Education Center and the Italian Conference of Rectors (CRUI), which provides Georgian students with the opportunity to study in Italian higher education institutions.
Cultural programs are also being implemented successfully, including in the field of cultural heritage and archeology. Numerous concerts, exhibitions, film shows, conferences on various topics are held in different cities of Italy and Tbilisi. Georgia regularly participates in the Venice Biennale, which is the most important international exhibition in the field of architecture and design.
It should be noted that on May 11, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Italian Embassy in cooperation with the Georgian National Museum is holding an exhibition in Tbilisi dedicated to the unique material about 17th century Georgia created by Italian missionary and traveler Christopher Castelli. A special book of sketches and maps covering the same period will also be presented. Work is underway to issue a jubilee postage stamp.

MFA of Georgia

On 28 April 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili had his first telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Eva-Maria Liimets.
The Estonian Minister congratulated his Georgian counterpart on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs and wished him success in his future endeavors.
Discussing issues on the bilateral agenda, the Ministers underlining the long-standing friendly relations between Georgia and Estonia and the importance of further deepening the political dialogue.
Particular attention was paid to Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration agenda. Focusing on Georgia's application for EU membership, Ilia Darchiashvili spoke about the steps taken by the Georgian government to coordinate the process of completing the EU Self- Assessment Questionnaire. The Minister stressed the importance of partners’ strong support for the implementation of Georgia's priorities, as well as the need to take into account the common interests of the associated trio countries on the path to European integration. Eva-Maria Liimets reaffirmed Estonia's unwavering support for Georgia on its path to EU integration.
The Ministers reviewed the regional security environment resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine, and exchanged information on the two countries' political and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and their involvement in international efforts.
The Ministers expressed their readiness to continue intensive cooperation and conduct high-level bilateral visits.

MFA of Georgia

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.

On March 28, 2022, a briefing was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, timed to coincide with the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution “Integration of mainstream bicycling into public transportation systems for sustainable development” and the election of Turkmenistan as a member of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for the period 2022–2028 years.

The briefing was attended by the leadership and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, heads of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations working in Turkmenistan, representatives of local media.

The speeches of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Natalia Gherman, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko, the Head of the Country Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Turkmenistan Yegor Zaitsev and others were heard.

During his speech, the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov emphasized that the political events that have recently taken place in the country are of great importance, both in terms of the internal development of the state and society, and the development of international activities of Turkmenistan.

The Minister emphasized the special importance of adopting by the beginning of 2022 of 17 resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the author of which was Turkmenistan, of which 16 resolutions were adopted in the last 15 years. At the same time, Turkmenistan continues to carry out active international activities within the framework of the institutions of the United Nations system, being currently a member of 11 councils, commissions and committees of the UN, R. Meredov added.

As is known, 62 states co-sponsored the current Resolution, which calls for the comprehensive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, the development of environmentally friendly modes of transport and the improvement of road safety.

In this regard, the Minister stated that Turkmenistan is ready to hold an International Conference in 2022 on the role of cycling in ensuring the sustainability and environmental friendliness of urban transport systems.

It was noted that partnership with the UN allows Turkmenistan to realize its neutral status as an important factor of regional stability and security. In this context, R. Meredov, noting the importance of the foreign policy success of Turkmenistan - the country's election as a member of the UN Commission on International Trade Law for the period of 2022-2028, stressed that this is the result of the systematic implementation of the goals and objectives outlined in the "Program for the development of foreign economic activity of Turkmenistan for 2020 -2025" and "Foreign trade strategy of Turkmenistan for 2021-2030".

As noted during the speeches, the election of Turkmenistan to the UN Commission on International Trade Law is the result of purposeful work to implement the strategic course of our country for full integration into international economic and trade relations.

In addition, the participants of the briefing were shown a video film about the foreign policy initiatives of Turkmenistan.

During the briefing, the participants of the event received not only detailed information on the latest events in the international life of the country, presented by the speakers, but also the opportunity to ask their questions.

The main purpose of the resolution is to respond to the dire humanitarian situation in the country as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The resolution calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and for the protection of the civilian population, medical and humanitarian personnel. The Resolution condemns violations of international humanitarian law and human rights and calls on the parties to ensure safe and unimpeded movement for the population.

The OSCE Group of Friends of Georgia  (Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) issued a joint statement reaffirming that they do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called “parliamentary election” held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on 12 March 2022.
According to  the OSCE Group of Friends of Georgia the same is true for the so-called “presidential election” scheduled to be held in Georgia’s South Ossetia region on 10 April 2022.  
The OSCE Group of Friends of Georgia reiterates itsfull support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, and remains deeply concerned over the continued occupation of parts of the territory of Georgia by the Russian Federation as well as by steps to integrate Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the Russia's socio-economic sphere.
In its statement, the OSCE Group of Friends of Georgia urges Russia to fulfill its obligation under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement, and to withdraw its forces to their positions prior to the outbreak of hostilities, as well as to provide free access for humanitarian assistance to these regions. The Group of Friends of Georgia also calls on Russia to reverse its recognition of the so- called independence of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The 44th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States of  held online on 17 December 2021. The meeting was chaired by the Vice-Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the BSEC Chairman-in-Office, David Zalkaliani.
Zalkaliani spoke about the events organized by the country during the Georgian Chairmanship. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also briefed the BSEC member states on Georgia’s strategy to prevent the spread of the virus in Georgia, on the measures taken and the positive results achieved in terms of intensifying economic growth. It was stressed that based on the available data, Georgia forecasts double-digit GDP growth.
The Minister shared his views on the development of the Black Sea region as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia. Zalkaliani also spoke about Georgia’s role of as a transport hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and stressed that the number of cargo shipments during the pandemic increased by 30%, the number of international flights over Georgia – by three times. The Minister also spoke about the developments in the tourism sector and noted that despite the 80 percent fall during the pandemic, tourism returned to the pre-pandemic level thanks to the Georgian government’s active efforts.
The Minister also emphasized the importance of enhancing regional security  - an essential precondition for the sustainable and stable economic development of the BSEC countries. At the same time, Zalkaliani stressed the need to resolve conflicts in the region in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Minister Zalkaliani thanked the Permanent Secretariat of the Organization for its assistance during the Georgian Chairmanship of the BSEC (1 July 2021 to 31 December 2021) and wished the Republic of Moldova success in its forthcoming chairmanship of the organization.

MFA of Georgia