2017-02-21
The dynamics in our relations with the US are very positive, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated at today's Government meeting, when commenting on his meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.
According to the Prime Minister, the meeting confirmed that Georgia-US strategic partnership will not only continue, but will also intensify and advance to a whole new level, what is commendable.
According to Giorgi Kvirikashvili, his meeting with the US Vice President was preceded by a number of successful visits, including meetings of defense and foreign affairs senior officials, and a visit by a Georgian parliamentary delegation led by Vice Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili.
"During the meeting between the heads of the two countries' defense authorities, Georgia's ongoing military reform was commended. Overall, we have very positive dynamics in our relations with the US," the Prime Minister stated. Crucially important meetings with the US Vice President and several heads of state were held under the Munich Security Conference, participation in which was assessed by Georgia's Prime Minister as "very successful".
"We had a meeting with the President of Estonia. We are implementing exciting joint e-governance projects, and our tax reform is based on the Estonian model. We also discussed our bilateral relations. We had an interesting meeting with the President of Afghanistan. Importantly, new opportunities are emerging in our transport, logistics, and economic relations with Afghanistan. We also discussed possibilities for Georgian companies to participate in Afghanistan's state procurements, and the President expressed his readiness and commitment to considering relevant offers," the Prime Minister said.
According to Giorgi Kvirikashvili, similarly important was the meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini who made a tremendous personal contribution to adopting visa waiver for Georgia's citizens. During the meeting, the upcoming EU Association Agreement Action Plan was also discussed.
"I will not list the other important meetings, but one important conclusion we can draw from the two-day Munich Security Conference is that we can clearly see the obvious rationale and logic behind a strong European Union. In other words, when it comes to security, politics, and economy in our challenging environment, the very presence of a strong European Union is paramount. During different discussions, many leaders pointed it out, once again testifying to the synergy between the EU member states, that is, the power of a unified market and the importance of a strong European Union for ensuring security. During the panel discussions, we had an opportunity to discuss Georgia's strategy and challenges facing us, and the obvious positive trends in our country," the Prime Minister stated.
The problems stemming from occupation and the importance of the engagement of the international community in problem resolution were discussed during the Prime Minister's meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The Head of Government also spoke of his brief visit to Switzerland and important meetings with the Presidents of the International Olympic Committee and International Ski Federation.
"We discussed a possibility of Georgia hosting a world tournament in one of the winter sports. This requires special preparations, and countries are shortlisted years in advance, so we may apply and, in about five years, be very well approved to host championship finals in freestyle skiing, snowboarding, or other winter sports. It will be a powerful stimulus, boosting investments in Georgia, and the state will continue prioritizing public investments and private-public partnership models," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Prime Minister's Press Office