FM Darchiashvili Visits Brussels

On April 29 and 30, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili is on a visit to Brussels to participate in European Council events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement. He met with EU representatives and ministerial colleagues, including European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová and Acting Head of Cabinet of European Commission President Fernando Andresen Guimaraes. He also attended and addressed the participants of the informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council.

Meeting with European Commission Vice-President

On April 29, FM Darchiashvili met with the Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová.

According to the official press release of the MFA, Darchiashvili spoke about the country’s “ongoing reforms aimed at aligning Georgia with EU standards,” including the nine steps set by the European Commission.

The parties also discussed the controversial Foreign Agents bill. “The Minister presented Georgia’s arguments, while the Vice President highlighted the pressing challenges prompting discussions about enacting similar mechanisms within the European Union,” the press-release reads.

The parties also discussed the security situation in the region and humanitarian conditions in the occupied Georgian territories.

“Had a very good meeting with Věra Jourová, where we discussed Georgia’s progress on the EU accession path, achieved through our government’s efforts, including the implementation of a number of essential reforms. We agreed to continue close cooperation,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted after the meeting.

“With Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili, we also discussed the foreign agents law in Georgia. On foreign funding, the right approach is to focus on transparency. Georgia should take inspiration from European Union. Focusing on sanctioning / labelling / restricting actors’ operations is in contradiction with EU approach,” European Commission Vice-President tweeted after the meeting.

Meeting with the Acting Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission

On April 29, FM Darchiashvili also met with the Acting Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission, Fernando Andresen Guimaraes.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the support of the President of the European Commission to Georgia’s European integration, emphasizing the involvement of various structures of the European Commission in reform initiatives.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s press release, FM Darchiashvili said that “EU integration remains the central goal of Georgia’s foreign policy,” adding that “the government reiterated its readiness to make significant progress and advance to the next phase of cooperation with the European Union.”

Address to the General Affairs Council of the EU

On April 30, FM Darchiashvili attended the informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement and addressed the participants.

The Minister spoke about Georgia’s EU accession process and its importance, noting that “Georgia’s civilizational choice is reflected in the country’s Constitution.”

FM Darchiashvili spoke about the challenges the country faces with regard to the occupation and noted that “in this difficult situation, the country is implementing reforms to come as close as possible to EU standards.

He added that Georgia “continues to actively cooperate with European partners in the process of the country’s European integration”.

Meeting with Belgian FM

On April 30, FM Darchiashvili met with his Belgian counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions Hadja Lahbib.

The parties discussed security challenges in Europe, Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, and the situation in the region. Discussions also focused on the issues of connectivity, diversification of transportation routes and energy supplies to Europe and Georgia’s special role in this regard.

“It was a pleasure to once again meet with my Belgian colleague Hadja Lahbib. Grateful to her for a warm welcome at the EU General Affairs Council to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the EU 2004 enlargement. The fact that the EU candidate countries join the event along with the 27 member states is a vivid demonstration that we already represent the part of the big European family,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted after the meeting.

Meeting with Deputy PM of Luxembourg

On April 30, FM Darchiashvili also met with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Minister of Cooperation of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the issues of Georgia’s European integration, the EU candidate status granted to Georgia last year, and the ongoing reform agenda. According to the official press release of the Ministry, FM Darchiashvili said during the meeting that “European and Euro-Atlantic integration are the main goals of Georgia’s foreign policy” and thanked his Luxembourger colleague for supporting Georgia in this way.

FM Darchiashvili noted that active working with the EU institutions and with the member state representatives are going for the future progress.

The ministers discussed the security environment in the region, including Georgia’s occupied territories.

“Glad to meet Xavier Bettel, Deputy PM, FM of Luxembourg. We welcomed the positive dynamics of cooperation between Georgia and Luxembourg and noted that in 2024, our countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. We touched upon Georgia’s EU accession and focused on the steps the country is to take to further advance on this path,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted.

Meeting with Lathvian FM

FM Darchiashvili held introductory meeting with his Lathvian counterpart, Baiba Braže, the Foreign Ministry of Georgia reported.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the agenda of cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed the ongoing processes and the security environment in the region.

“On sidelines of the EU General Affairs Council meeting, I had a very good exchange of views with my Latvian counterpart Braze Baiba regarding strengthening diplomatic ties and exploring avenues for cooperation between our countries,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted.

More to follow…

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