German President to Visit Georgia this Week

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will pay an official visit to Georgia on October 6, Georgian President’s press office reports.

He will visit the country together with his wife Elke Budenbender and hold the first meeting with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili at the Atoneli Presidential Palace.

Within the framework of the visit, meetings with Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II are also scheduled. 

During the visit, Steinmeier will also meet with Georgian businessmen in Tbilisi and visit several wineries in the Kakheti region of western Georgia, Alaverdi Monastery and the palace of King Erekle II.

The visit will end on October 8. 

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani emphasized that the German President’s visit is not aimed at offering any initiative to Georgia, adding that the decision on Steinmeier's visit was made during the Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili’s visit to Germany.

“I would like to clearly state that Steinmeier is not arriving in Georgia with any initiative, any proposal regarding the conflict resolution. These are just speculations that may be caused by the fact that our Ukrainian colleagues have considered his proposals related to the ongoing processes in eastern Ukraine,” Georgian FM said.

By Ana Dumbadze