Joint Declaration on Establishment of a High-level Dialogue Signed between Georgia and Italy

On April 21, 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Antonio Tajani, signed a joint declaration on the establishment of a high-level dialogue between Georgia and the Republic of Italy.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia the parties recognize the significant progress achieved in bilateral relations between Georgia and Italy since 1992, which provides a solid basis for strengthening and diversifying the existing cooperation agenda. The parties reaffirm their commitment to common values and interests and their desire to uphold the rules-based international order.

In the Declaration, the Parties express their firm commitment to elevate the existing bilateral relations between the two countries to a higher level and outline the future prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. The format consists of four thematic dimensions: political, defense and security, trade and economic, and cultural, educational and scientific areas.

According to the Foreign Ministry of Georgia, the signing took place in the frames of the Minister’s visit to Italy. During the visit, Ilia Darchiashvili met with his Italian counterpart Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He also held meetings with the representatives of the Italian legislative and executive authorities.

Commenting about his ongoing visit to Italy, Ilia Darchiashvili underlined the importance of Italy’s support for Georgia’s European integration, including the process of obtaining EU candidate status. According to Darchiashvili, Georgia’s top priority is to obtain EU candidate status, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all state bodies involved in this process are focused on this objective.

He noted that he will be discussing with Italian partners what kind of support Georgia needs to obtain the status of candidate status: “I had the opportunity to speak with the Speaker of Parliament, because parliamentary support is also essential in this process. I would like to point out that we received very clear support from him and I am sure that the Parliament, together with the Italian government, will be very active in the process of supporting Georgia”.

After meeting his Georgian counterpart, Antonio Tajani took to Twitter to highlight the importance of the declaration signed by the two countries, which he said “strengthens our bilateral relations and deepens scientific and cultural cooperation”. “We support Georgia’s European path and its territorial integrity,” added the Foreign Minister of Italy.

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