2017-07-25
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met today with President Reuven Rivlin of the State of Israel.
The Prime Minister emphasized the special relations between Georgia and Israel and pointed out that the history of the two nations' friendship goes back 2,600 years.
"You can find the most positive sentiments among the Georgians toward the people of Israel. We are so glad to see more than 150,000 visitors a year. It is growing month by month. We have a number of areas of very fruitful cooperation with Israel. We warmly recall your visit just months ago to our country where we had an opportunity to discuss extending our cooperation, and we are going to host the Intergovernmental Commission this autumn, where we will able to discuss opportunities to deepen our cooperation. There are a number of areas, being it agriculture, technical, education, hi-tech cooperation, and security. The challenges we face are quite similar, and we need to learn from your experience. Of course, Georgia is a reliable partner of Israel in this challenging neighborhood," the Prime Minister said.
The President of the State of Israel underlined the special friendly relations between the two countries. According to Reuven Rivlin, the Georgian people and the Jews have much in common.
"We have a large community of Georgians here in Israel, as much as you have a wonderful Jewish community in Georgia. I know that we have a lot of connections between our peoples. There are more than 150,000 tourists moving from Georgia to Israel and from Israel to Georgia. We are very happy about these connections, connections in agriculture and homeland security, which is so very important for both of us and the entire free world, and we are doing a lot. I know that you are going to meet the Prime Minister, and you are going to have different meetings, and your Foreign Minister is here. We are looking forward to extending our relationship, and the very visit of your here, along with the Foreign Affairs Minister, is very important for both people and shows the willingness and wish for extending our relationship. We welcome you from the bottom of our hearts and a lot of respect to your people and to the connection between our peoples. Welcome," the President of the State of Israel addressed the Prime Minister of Georgia.
The extended format meeting was attended by Georgia's Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze and the Prime Minister's Foreign Adviser Tedo Japaridze. The Prime Minister recorded his impressions in the honorary guestbook at the residence of the President of the State of Israel.
Prime Minister's Press Office