Georgia’s Foreign Minister Holds High-Rank Meetings in Geneva
Within the framework of the High-Segment Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Vice-Premier of Georgia and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikheil Janelidze, held meetings with the colleagues and the heads of delegations of various states.
Janelidze met with Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Afghanistan. At the meeting, the sides welcomed the partnership relations between Georgia and Afghanistan and good practices of cooperation in various fields.
The Head of the Afghan government once again expressed his gratitude for Georgia's significant involvement in the NATO-led peacekeeping missions and emphasized the special bravery of the Georgian soldiers.
Minister Janelidze, for his part, once again reaffirmed the willingness of the Georgian side to continue contributing to peace and stability in the region and to the institutional development of Afghanistan through sharing Georgian reforms and experiences.
The sides also discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the economic sphere, and emphasized the active cooperation of the two countries in the transit process of Caspian energy resources.
Within the visit to Geneva, the Georgian Minister also met with his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó. The Ministers discussed issues of bilateral cooperation and once again expressed their support towards mutually important issues discussed within the international formats.
Janelidze also met with Foreign Minister of Senegal, Sidiki Kaba, Moroccan State Minister for Human Rights, Mustapha Ramid, and Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Political Affairs in Africa.
During the meetings, the Georgian side expressed interest in developing cooperation with African countries. Discussions also focused on the possibilities of bilateral relations in different areas, including education and healthcare.
The Georgian Foreign Minister also had a meeting with Michael Møller, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, seeing a discussion of the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Minister informed the Director of the UN Office about the tragic death of Georgian citizen Archil Tutunashvili, who was kidnapped by the occupant forces on February 23 and the next day died in unclear circumstances. Janelidze emphasized the importance of the relevant response of the international community on similar facts.
The sides focused on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Georgia. Møller noted that it will be interesting and useful for member states to share the experience of Georgia in this regard.
Attention was also paid to the priorities of the Georgian Chairmanship in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and preparations for the OGP Global Summit, which will be held in July in Georgia.
Janelidze additionally met with UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Zaid Raad al-Hussein and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Philippe Grant, during the Georgian delegation’s participation in the High-Segment Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 25-27.
By Thea Morrison