Moldovan Deputy PM Visits Georgia

On January 30-31, Oleg Serebrian, Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration visited Georgia where he met with the Prime Minister of Georgia, the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation as well as the Minister of Health, and Parliament officials. Moldovan Deputy PM’s discussions with the official Tbilisi included topics related to bilateral cooperation and the countries’ reforms agenda.  Serebrian also visited the village Odzisi in the vicinity of the occupation line and discussed the developments regarding the occupied territories of Georgia and Moldova.

Meeting with Prime Minister

During the meeting with the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, both sides underscored the importance of peaceful conflict resolution and both leaders reaffirmed their strong mutual support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other’s countries. 

“The conversation also touched on the process of EU integration of the Associated Trio member states. Attention was paid to the implementation of the European Council’s recommendations, steps taken so far, and plans for the future,” the Government Administration reported.

Georgian PM Garibashvili and Moldovan Deputy PM Serebrian also discussed the regional and global security challenges, and underlined the importance of joint efforts of addressing them. 

Meeting with State Minister for Reconciliation

Thea Akhvlediani, Georgia’s State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality updated her Moldovan colleague regarding Tbilisi’s peaceful conflict resolution policy towards the occupied regions of Georgia. She also gave an overview of the dire humanitarian and human rights conditions in the occupied territories of Georgia.

“Georgia and Moldova are linked by various issues of mutual interest, goals and challenges. Particularly, among them are the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our countries within their internationally recognized borders, accession to the European Union, and the overall deepening of bilateral cooperation,” Thea Akhvlediani noted. 

In his remarks, Moldovan Deputy PM noted that both Moldova and Georgia share the similar challenges related to separatism which is “supported by the Russian Federation.” In this context, Serebrian added that “now we need to coordinate our actions” in reintegration, as well as the EU integration efforts of the both countries. 

Deputy PM Serebrian, accompanied by State Minister Thea Akhvlediani, also visited the village Odzisi near the occupation line. “It was interesting to hear also from our Georgian colleagues about problems with human rights in the Tskhinvali region and in Abkhazia: the problem with the schools, the ethnic cleansing in both regions, the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of Georgians, who were forced to leave the two regions. I think we have many issues in common, that is why we should coordinate more our actions between Tbilisi and Chisinau with our European Colleagues as well,” Serebrian commented. 

Other Meetings

Moldovan Deputy PM also held a meeting with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. The parties emphasized the special historical and geographical linkages between Georgia and Moldova and talked about the common European agenda, in particular how to put the suggestions of the European Union into action. “The parties emphasized the value of parliamentary collaboration and knowledge exchange. They also talked about the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine and regional security challenges,” the Parliament of Georgia reported. 

At the Parliament, Oleg Serebrian also met with Deputy Speaker Gia Volski. “We discussed our thoughts on the time when intense peace talks involving the international community were taking place. We examined the prospects for the growth of interaction between societies, economic relations, the whole range of issues that currently characterize Moldova, and the actual situation that exists in the occupied areas today”, – G. Volski noted.

The Moldovan official’s meetings included a discussion with Zurab Azarasvhili, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the occupied territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. The sides discussed the projects directed at assisting and reintegrating IDPs in Moldova and Georgia. They also discussed the ongoing programs aimed at supporting Ukrainian refugees. 

Also Read:

• 05/12/2022 – Moldovan President ‘Deeply Concerned’ for Saakashvili’s Health
• 25/11/2022 – Foreign Minister Darchiashvili Visits Moldova

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)