Embassy of South Korea Opens in Georgia

On December 15th, the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea was opened in Tbilisi.

The diplomatic representation held a reception attended by Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, diplomatic representatives accredited in Georgia, and the Free University’s Asia-Africa Faculty.

Kim Chang-Gyu, the newly appointed Ambassador of Korea to Georgia addressed the audience and thanked them for coming.

Kvirikashvili also addressed the audience and congratulated the representatives on the opening of representation in Georgia.

The Georgian Minister underlined that during recent years, a new positive tendency of bilateral trade between Georgia and South Korea has been steadily increasing, adding that investments from Korea have been remarkable, a fact well-exemplified by the participation of the Korean K-Water company in the Nenskra (hydropower) Project.

On December 15th, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania met with the delegation of the Republic of Korea, including the newly appointed Ambassador Kim Chang-Gyu; Director of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Choi Yonjae; and Charge d’Affairs of the Tbilisi Office, Kim In-Hwan.

The MFA says discussions focused on the current bilateral relations between Georgia and the Republic of Korea; on the increased level of co-operation between Georgia and the KOICA; and on the prospects for development of that co-operation. “David Jalagania underlined the importance of three projects (related to the issues of agriculture, health and environment protection) presented by the Government of Georgia to the KOICA. The decision on possible financing of projects will be made by the Agency in 2017.”

The Deputy Minister thanked the Agency for its active co-operation and for the grant assistance rendered to the Georgian Foreign Ministry in 2013 and 2015, in the frames of which the Agency supplied computer equipment to the amount of 100,000 USD to the MFA.

Both sides reaffirmed their readiness to further enhance the bilateral co-operation with a view to realizing projects with regard to the country’s development agenda.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was established in 1991 by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a Governmental Organization for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enhance the global development agenda by promoting sustainable social-economic development of partner countries.

Zviad Adzinbaia