Kobakhidze Meets EU Officials to Discuss Association Agreement
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, arrived in Brussels on Monday for his first official visit since taking office in January. He met with several high-ranking officials of the European Union, including Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement.
The main agenda of the meetings was to review the progress and challenges of the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, which was signed in 2014 and entered into force in 2016. The agreement aims to deepen the political and economic relations between the EU and Georgia, and to gradually integrate Georgia into the EU’s internal market.
Kobakhidze expressed his gratitude for the EU’s continuous support for Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic reforms. He also reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to the European integration process and the Eastern Partnership initiative, which brings together six former Soviet countries that seek closer ties with the EU.
Borrell and Várhelyi praised Georgia’s achievements in the areas of rule of law, human rights, and good governance, and encouraged the country to continue its reforms and dialogue with the opposition. They also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccine rollout, and the economic recovery plans.
The EU is Georgia’s largest trading partner and the main source of foreign direct investment, development assistance, and humanitarian aid. The EU also granted Georgia a visa-free regime in 2017, allowing Georgian citizens to travel to the Schengen area without a visa for short stays.
Kobakhidze Participates in NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting
On Tuesday, Kobakhidze attended the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission at the NATO headquarters, where he met with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and the ambassadors of the 30 NATO member states.
The NATO-Georgia Commission is a forum for political consultations and practical cooperation between NATO and Georgia, which was established in 2008 after the Russia-Georgia war. The commission oversees the implementation of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which was launched in 2014 to enhance Georgia’s defense capabilities and prepare for eventual membership in the alliance.
Kobakhidze thanked NATO for its strong political and practical support for Georgia’s security and defense, and reiterated Georgia’s aspiration to join the alliance as a full member. He also highlighted Georgia’s contributions to the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and its readiness to support the NATO 2030 agenda, which aims to make the alliance more resilient, adaptable, and capable in the face of new challenges.
Stoltenberg welcomed Georgia’s progress in implementing the reforms and the package, and praised Georgia’s role as a reliable partner and a security provider. He also reaffirmed NATO’s unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic integration, and called on Russia to end its occupation of Georgia’s regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and to withdraw its forces from there.
NATO has repeatedly stated that Georgia will become a member of the alliance, as agreed at the Bucharest summit in 2008, but the timeline and the criteria for the admission remain unclear. Georgia is one of the most pro-NATO countries in the world, with more than 70% of its population supporting the membership, according to polls.
Kobakhidze Holds Bilateral Meetings with Belgian and Georgian Officials
During his visit to Brussels, Kobakhidze also held bilateral meetings with several Belgian and Georgian officials, including Sophie Wilmès, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium, and Salome Zurabishvili, the President of Georgia, who was also attending the Munich Security Conference.
In these meetings, Kobakhidze discussed the bilateral relations and cooperation between Georgia and Belgium, as well as the regional and international issues of common interest. He also invited Wilmès and Michel to visit Georgia in the near future.
Kobakhidze was accompanied by a high-level delegation of Georgian ministers, including Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Irakli Chikovani, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Ilia Darchiashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Tea Akhvlediani, the Minister of State for Reconciliation and Civil Equality.
