PM Kobakhidze Visits Germany

The Georgian delegation headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze is on an official visit to Germany. He has already held a meeting with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, followed by a joint press conference, and with Bärbel Bas, the President of the German Bundestag. Within the framework of his visit , the PM Irakli Kobakhidze will also meet with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank Walter Steinmeier.

The Georgian Prime Minister’s visit to Germany comes against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy around the re-tabled Foreign Agents bill, which prompted outcry both at home and abroad.

Meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz

During the meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister and the German Chancellor, the parties highlighted “the high level of political dialogue and positive dynamics of bilateral relations,” the Government of Georgia reported.

Among other issues, the Georgian PM thanked the German Chancellor for “the solid support” to Georgia on its European integration path. At the meeting, the significance of Georgia’s EU candidacy was also highlighted.

“The Prime Minister of Georgia once again confirmed the commitment assumed by the authorities of Georgia towards the European choice of the country, thereby noting that the next goal would be to open negotiations on EU accession,” the Georgian Government administration said. PM Kobakhidze also assured the German Chancellor that Georgia remains to be “a reliable partner” for the EU.

The discussion also touched upon the re-tabled Foreign Agents Law. “The Prime Minister of Georgia noted that it solely envisages annual financial reporting from NGOs.”

The face-to-face meeting was followed by a meeting in an extended format, with the discussion topics including “the economy, law-enforcement, arts and culture, education and science with a track record of positive cooperation and prospects of further deepening in the realm of bilateral relations.”

“Delighted to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz during my visit to Germany. Discussed the scope of Georgia-Germany multifaceted cooperation and ways to further strengthen our partnership. Expressed gratitude for Germany’s continuous support for Georgia’s development processes, as well as our EU accession path. Georgia, as a future EU member state, remains a reliable ally for both Germany and Europe in the region,” PM Kobakhidze tweeted following the meeting.

Joint Press Conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz

During the joint press conference following the meeting with the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on April 12, the Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz called on Georgia to drop the recently re-tabled foreign agents law, expressing hope that the Georgian Parliament will take into account the positions of the people of Georgia and the international partners.

“We were critical, as was the entire European Union, with regard to the law on organizations with foreign influence and, after it was dropped, we very much hoped that it would not be resurrected and that there would not be a new legislative proposal in the same direction and the criticism remains the same as last time,” the Chancellor said.

Answering a question on why Georgia’s European partners are concerned with Georgia’s draft law while “the similar or same” regulations are in place in Europe and the US, the Chancellor said “the European Union as such has no such regulation. There is a discussion about doing something that creates transparency in a certain area. But that is a different regulation and also a different concept to what is being discussed here, and it has not been decided, and possibly never will be. There was once a regulation in Hungary that was overturned by the European Court of Justice.”

The Chancellor also pledged Germany will continue to support Georgia’s European integration. “From the outset, Germany supported the decision to give Georgia the perspective of European Union membership. And that is why it was an important date for us that Georgia was granted candidate status by the European Union in December. And now it is a matter of organizing this process in such a way that, step by step, all the criteria required for membership of the European Union are advanced.”

“This is about the entire legal framework, the economic regulations that are connected to it, but of course also about the rule of law and democracy.,” he elaborated, adding that “we know, and this is of course very pleasing, that this is not just a government objective, but that membership of the European Union is also a major request of the citizens of Georgia. Surveys show that an overwhelming majority of citizens actively support this and want to do everything they can to ensure that this process is successful.”

In this context, Chancellor Scholz emphasized the importance of conducting free and fair Parliamentary election in October 2024 for advancing beyond the EU candidacy. He said: “the parliamentary elections that are now taking place are therefore also very important. It is important that they send out a signal that they are free and fair and that this is thus also a basis for the further process that has now been opened with the candidate status.”

The German Chancellor also reiterated Germany’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, stressing that Germany continues to support the EU monitoring mission to which it contributes a “large number of personnel.” He also said: “We know that Russia is still pushing ahead with its imperialist plans. This is not only true with regard to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but we should not forget that Georgia itself has also been a victim of Russian aggression since 2008. Parts of Georgia are under Russian control in violation of international law. And that is precisely why it is important for us to take a clear stance.”

He also said he is” pleased that we are therefore not coincidentally, but remarkably, jointly condemning the Russian war of aggression and doing everything we can to ensure that the sanctions we have imposed in the European Union are not circumvented.”

During the press conference, the Prime Minister of Georgia said the country’s mid-term goal is to become the member of the EU “which unites the free people from Lisbon to Tbilisi.” He said: “We continue the reform process. We are doing this within the framework of the recommendations made by the European Commission and we hope that the reforms implemented by Georgia will deserve a due evaluation.”

“Germany plays a special role in the fulfillment of the most important foreign policy goals of Georgia, and during our meeting I thanked the Federal Chancellor for his practical and political support, which Germany provided to Georgia on the path of European integration at a historic moment, which was reflected in the granting of EU membership candidate status to Georgia in December last year,” the Georgian PM noted.

He also defended the foreign agents bill re-tabled by the Georgian Dream, saying that “the only thing that the bill provides for is the annual disclosure of the finances of non-governmental organizations, and so far it has not been reasoned why the principle of transparency should not be respected on the part of these non-governmental organizations…All processes in Georgia are transparent, we are open for discussion.”

Meeting with Bundestag President

According to the Government of Georgia, “the meeting’s key topics included the positive dynamic in the development of bilateral Georgia-Germany relations and successful cooperation across a variety of areas, including between the two countries’ legislative bodies.”

PM Kobakhidze underlined Germany’s support to Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic accession, and “expressed the hope that Germany will continue standing by Georgia on this path in the future.”

The Georgian PM also thanked the German Bundestag President “for strongly supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” The parties also emphasized the importance of further deepening the bilateral Parliamentary ties.

More to follow…

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