Georgia and Ukraine to Increase Trade and Tourism Cooperation

Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, held a meeting with Volodymyr Groysman, Prime Minister of Ukraine today. “Georgia firmly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and strongly condemn the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the occupation and annexation of the city of Sevastopol, as well as illegal actions and aggression of the Russian Federation in the Eastern regions of Ukraine,” the Georgian PM said.  

Kvirikashvili also underlined the strategic partnership of the two countries, and the intensified, active cooperation between Georgia and Ukraine this year particularly, with numerous high-level visits held, and the two country dynamic interactions on sectoral and parliamentary levels. As the PM of Georgia emphasized, Ukraine remains a major trade partner to Georgia, with an increased trade turnover between the two countries increased by 19% this year. Giorgi Kvirikashvili said that within the Prime Minister of Ukraine’s visit to Georgia, two memorandums will be signed; one on land registration and cadastre system development, and the second on developing cooperation in the sector of medical drugs quality control. 

Giorgi Kvirikashvili thanked Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman for his unconditional support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, noting that Georgia and Ukraine share the same aspirations to become valuable members of the European and Euro-Atlantic area, and pointing out that Georgia is ready to conduct active steps; with a complex, ambitious plan to achieve that goal. 

“Further deepening our relations has huge potential, and with joint effort we will be able to overcome the challenges Georgia and Ukraine are facing, and ensure the peaceful development and prosperity of the two nations”. Prime Minister of Georgia said. 

Volodymyr Groysman thanked Georgia’s PM for inviting him to Georgia and for the continuous effort in supporting Ukraine. He talked about the positive trends in trade relations of the two countries, pointing out the potential of growing annual the $500 million turnover to 1 billion. “We can increase cooperation in various sectors such as agrarian and economy. and we’ll be delighted to increase business relations in Georgia,” he said.

At the Forum tomorrow, a plan will be agreed to build one road for the transportation of goods to ensuring high quality logistics together with other partners, in order to offer the best service for the transportation of goods from Europe to Asia. 

Travel between Ukraine and Georgia has to become easier, with the parties deciding to start dialogue towards recognizing ID cards, in order to make travel between the countries easier for Georgian and Ukrainian citizens. 

“Our Government is ready to take concrete actions that will support the development of the relations of our countries,” Prime Minister of Ukraine said.

By Nino Gugunishvili