Annual Georgian Ambassadors’ Conference Kicks Off in Tbilisi

On 26-28 December, the annual Georgian Ambassadors’ Conference – “Ambassadors’ Conference 2023, Georgia – a candidate country for the European Union” – is taking place in Tbilisi. The event, which brings together Georgian heads of missions and consulates, is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister of Georgia as well as the Speaker of the Parliament delivered speeches. Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Gert Jan Koopman and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi also addressed the audience via prerecorded videos.

In addition to diplomats, guests include Members of the Parliament, Ministers and representatives of the Georgian Patriarchate. Similar to the last year, the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili is not attending the conference. In 2022, the breach of protocol was cited as a reason for not attending. This year, according to President Zurabishvili’s administration, she did not receive the invitation.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili began his opening remarks by congratulating the diplomats on the European Union candidacy, which he said was “a great achievement of our people and our government, of our joint efforts”. According to Garibashvili, one of Georgia’s greatest dreams had been fulfilled with the country’s EU candidacy.

He claimed that until 2012, when the current incumbent Georgian Dream party took over from the United National Movement party, Georgia had been moving away from Europe and turning into an “autocratic, dictatorial regime”.

Garibashvili credited the ruling Georgian Dream party for the Association and Free Trade Agreements, as well as the visa-free regime with the European Union, and more recently, the candidacy. Garibashvili said that all this was “unimaginable” before 2012 and that these achievements were due to the government of Bidzina Ivanishvili and the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Prime Minister Garibashvili also boasted that the country had managed to maintain “peace, stability and robust economic development” in the face of a “turbulent geopolitical situation”. On the other hand, the Prime Minister cited occupation, poverty and high unemployment as challenges. He added that in this “difficult” situation, the “constitution”, the country’s main guiding principles, must be national interests. “We do not have the right not to lead with only national interests.”

Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili also congratulated the Georgian diplomats on receiving the EU candidacy and thanked them for their contribution. According to him, the EU candidacy made the process of becoming a member “irreversible.” “For further success, we will continue to implement the agenda of reforms which are derived from the society and national interests, and together with the European Union, we will reach a decision to start (ed.accession) negotiations.”

FM Darchiashvili also touched upon other priotities of Georgia’s foreign policy. According to him, the country attaches “special significance” to the relations with the United States. He also praised Georgia’s “just as successful” relations with its neighbours, and emphasized Tbilisi’s role in promoting stable development and peace buildings.

“At the same time, all this will be incomplete without the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. Every day we continued to work towards the main priority, the de-occupation of the country and the restoration of territorial integrity in a peaceful way. I believe that our progress will assist us in uniting our country peacefully in the future,” Darchiashvili concluded.

Speaker of Parliament

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, also congratulated Georgia on its EU candidacy and noted that, following the European Council’s decision, it was now vital for Georgia to work towards membership.

According to Mr Papuashvili, “thanks to the right foreign and domestic policies, we are maintaining peace and security at a level necessary to increase the welfare of our people, strengthen the economy and develop the country”.

All of this, according to Speaker Papuashvili, gives the country the opportunity to look forward to 2024 with hope. However, he also noted that with parliamentary elections scheduled for next year, “we are expecting widespread campaigns of disinformation and false narratives, provocations, attempts to create false perceptions, instability and unrest”.

EU Officials

“The EU candidacy is not a gift. It is the result of numerous months of work by you and your government,” Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, is quoted by the Georgian Foreign Ministry as saying in a video address to the audience. According to the same information, Várhelyi said that the EU would continue to support Georgia on its European path.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Gert Jan Köpmann, Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, also addressed the Conference via video and praised Georgian diplomats for their role in Georgia’s progress on the European path.

“As he noted, becoming a candidate country is a very important step, but the new year will bring even more progress and opportunities for Georgia,” the MFA press release said.

Also Read:

• 26.12.2022 – “Put our Country’s Interest First,” PM Garibashvili Tells the Georgian Ambassadors’ Conference

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