Kavelashvili, Botchorishvili Attend 80th UN General Assembly in New York
Georgian Dream–elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili, together with GD Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili, is attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they arrived on September 22.
Kavelashvili will deliver a speech to the General Assembly, expected to be in Georgian. He is also scheduled to meet with the UN secretary-general and hold several high-level meetings. In addition, Kavelashvili has been invited to attend an official dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
“Altogether, this week is extremely important,” Georgia’s Ambassador to the United States, Tamar Taliashvili, told Georgian reporters. “The key words throughout this week will be peace, international order, and stability.”
The Georgian delegation also includes Davit Bakradze, the country’s permanent representative to the UN, and Ketevan Kvinikadze, head of Kavelashvili’s presidential administration.
On September 22, Georgia joined 50 countries in condemning Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace in a joint statement delivered at a UN Security Council meeting.
Maka Botchorishvili’s Meetings
During the visit, Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili held several high-level meetings, including with her counterparts from Slovakia, Vietnam, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates.
Meeting with the Slovak Foreign Minister
Botchorishvili met with her Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanár, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported on September 22, noting the two discussed cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
“The special attention was paid to the importance of friendly relations and political dialogue between the countries, as well as the perspectives of trade and economic cooperation,” the MFA press release said. It added that the ministers also discussed the regional security environment and challenges, with a focus on the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories.
The press release also said the talks touched on Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, noting that “Maka Botchorishvili outlined Georgia’s foreign policy priorities and thanked her Slovak counterpart for his support.”
“On the sidelines of UNGA80, had a meaningful conversation with Georgia’s good friend Slovak FM Juraj Blanár. We discussed strengthening Georgia-Slovakia bilateral relations & the importance of Georgia’s EU path. Slovakia’s consistent and principled support for Georgia is deeply valued,” Botchorishvili posted on X:
Meeting with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister
Botchorishvili also met with Le Hoai Trung, acting foreign minister of Vietnam, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported on Sept. 22.
“During the meeting, the sides discussed possible directions of cooperation in various fields, especially in trade, investment, tourism and logistics,” the ministry’s press release said. The ministry also stressed the planned opening of a Georgian Embassy in Vietnam “in the near future,” which it said would “support the development of relations between the two countries.”
“I had a productive meeting with my Vietnamese counterpart Le Huai Trung. We reaffirmed our commitment to advancing Georgia-Vietnam relations and explored new ways for cooperation in trade, economy, culture & beyond. I look forward to seeing our partnership grow stronger,” Botchorishvili wrote on X:
Meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister
Botchorishvili also met with her Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported on Sept. 22, saying the sides “discussed cooperation between the two countries as well as their historic ties and emphasized the importance of strengthening political dialogue.”
“During the meeting, they discussed regional security challenges, including in the European security context, and highlighted the importance of cooperation,” the ministry’s press release said. “The talks also touched on Georgia-EU relations and the necessity of dialogue in the European integration process.”
Botchorishvili thanked her counterpart for “firmly supporting” Georgia, with both sides expressing readiness for future cooperation, according to the ministry.
“Delighted to meet Greece FM George Gerapetritis during UNGA80. We discussed key aspects of our bilateral relations rooted in millennia-old ties and deep cultural closeness. We underlined the importance of Georgia’s EU path and the essential role of dialogue in this process,” Botchorishvili wrote on X.
“On EU-Georgia relations, Greek FM stressed that Georgia’s European perspective must be secured, while emphasizing the importance of full respect of EU acquis,” the Greek Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Meeting with UAE Foreign Minister
Maka Botchorishvili also met with Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister and deputy prime minister, though the Foreign Ministry has not yet issued an official press release about the meeting, which came days after she attended Bidzina Ivanishvili’s meeting with the UAE president in Tbilisi.
“Delighted to meet UAE Deputy PM H.H. ABZayed. We’re committed to developing strong relations with UAE, especially in the economic field. Attracting UAE investments will further strengthen cooperation between Georgia-UAE and benefit the broader region,” Botchorisvhili wrote on X.
No meetings have yet been reported involving Mikheil Kavelashvili.
More to Follow…
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