Georgian MFA Participates in 1st Trilateral Consultation with France & Germany
Paris hosted the first trilateral political consultations between the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the German Federal Foreign Office, on 14 November.
The Georgian delegation was led by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, the French delegation by the Director for Continental Europe at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Florence Mangin, and the German delegation by the Head of the Division for Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus at the German Federal Foreign Office, Michael Siebert.
The launch of the trilateral format of consultations came from the close and growing relations with France and Germany, the two leading states of Europe, and to the interest of Georgia, as a reliable partner of these two countries, in founding a high-level political dialogue in the trilateral format (Georgia-Germany-France). Within the frames of the consultations, special attention was paid to the foreign policy issues of priority importance of Georgia, on which the position and support of France and Germany, as well as coordinated work between them, takes on a particularly meaningful importance.
Vakhtang Makharoblishvili highlighted the Georgian government’s implemented and planned reforms, foreign policy priorities, the ongoing process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, problems relating to the occupied territories, aspects of regional security and relations with the neighboring countries.
Each of the aforementioned topics represents an issue of special interest to both the French and German governments and is set to be discussed regularly in the format of trilateral political consultations.
Georgia continues its pursuit of the irreversible process of EU and NATO integration. The Georgian side identified the steps which the Georgian government is taking in coordination with its European partners, in order to get closer to the European family, to further deepen sectoral integration and to increase compatibility with the North-Atlantic Alliance.
Makharoblishvili thanked his French and German Colleagues for their valuable contribution to Georgia’s integration with the western institutions. The sides expressed hope that these two leading states will further continue to support Georgia in this regard.
The security and human rights situation in Georgia’s occupied territories and the Georgian government’s efforts aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict were high on the agenda of the trilateral consultations. Substantial discussions were held on concrete ways to ensure the further involvement of the French and German sides in the conflict-resolution process.
The sides exchanged views regarding regional challenges. Talking points also included Georgia’s relations with the US and the neighboring countries, as well as co-operation with the regions of the Middle East and Asia.
Reaffirming their support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for its successful European and Euro-Atlantic integration path, the French and German delegations highly appraised Georgia’s substantial contribution towards ensuring international peace and security. They highlighted that having transformed itself into a role-model of democratic development in the region and a geo-strategic hub connecting Europe with Asia, Georgia will remain on the political agenda of the EU, and specifically of France and Germany.
The participants agreed to make regular trilateral consultations between Georgia, Germany and France.
By Dimitri Dolaberidze