PM: Georgia Should Use CoE Chairmanship to Raise Relevant Issues on the agenda

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the country should use the Council of Europe chairmanship to raise the relevant issues on the agenda.

As PM noted in his speech at the ongoing Conference of Ambassadors 2019, "We should all show the level of democratization that exists in Georgia today and the challenges we face on a daily basis."

“I would like to thank our diplomatic corps for the hard work done in 2019. It was a very important year. We have had quite important achievements, however, the following year will be even more active. This year we conclude that after 20 years of membership, Georgia is the Chair of the Council of Europe and therefore we must do our best to use this platform as effectively as possible. This is very important to us and it gives us the opportunity to put our country's relevant issues on the agenda today, to show everyone the level of democratization that exists in Georgia nowadays, and the challenges we face on a daily basis.

Of course, I would also like to congratulate the diplomatic corps that this year was the first when the country's foreign policy was formed as a structured format approved by the government first and then by Parliament. This is the first time this has allowed the diplomatic corps to work in a much more systematic and structured way to achieve the tasks the country is currently facing," he said.

The Conference of Ambassadors 2019, “Georgia – Chairman of Council of Europe: For Common Values, Rights and Freedom” with the participation of Heads of Diplomatic Representations and Consulates of Georgia abroad is being held in Tbilisi.

Achievements of Georgia’s foreign policy in 2019 will be evaluated during the conference, and future plans and new initiatives will be presented. The wide specter of issues includes regional and global challenges, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, peaceful resolution of territorial conflicts, trade-economic relations and Diaspora affairs.

The Conference of Ambassadors will end on December 20 and will be closed by a press conference of Georgian Foreign Minister.

From November 27, 2019, until May 15, 2020, Georgia chairs the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), a decision-making body composed of the ministers of foreign affairs of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe or their permanent representatives in Strasbourg.

By Ana Dumbadze 

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