2017-11-27
Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Greetings.
I am glad to be hosting the Prime Minister of a country that is very dear to us and my friend, Volodymyr Groysman, who has undertaken his first official visit to Georgia.
I would like to welcome the large delegation of Ukraine that will participate in the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum together with the Prime Minister.
I would like to emphasize the strategic partnership between our countries that is based on close people-to-people ties, common interests and our aspirations to be full members of the free world.
I am glad that these bilateral relations between Georgia and Ukraine have become particularly vibrant, which is confirmed by a number of high-level visits and events, as well as active interactions at sectoral and parliamentary levels. I would also like to mention the first and very successful state visit of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.
I am pleased to note that alongside with fruitful political interactions, cooperation in trade and economic fields, tourism, cultural and humanitarian fields is actively developing as well.
Throughout years, Ukraine remains Georgia's most important trade partner. It is a welcoming fact that the trade turnover has increased by 19% this year and is equal to almost half billion USD. Furthermore, Ukraine ranks fifth among Georgia's main trade partners. However, these figures fail to reflect the full potential of economic cooperation between our countries, we have to set ambitious goals and ensure maximum growth of trade turnover through joint efforts for the prosperity of both countries.
In the light of deepening sectoral interactions, we would like to welcome the signing two memoranda within the frames of the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister in Georgia. Respective documents concern registration of land plots and developing cadaster system as well as intensification of cooperation in the field of control of the quality of medicines.
Unfortunately, our countries are facing similar problems and challenges. We strongly support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders; we strictly condemn occupation and annexation of the Crimean Autonomous Republic and Sevastopol as well as aggressive and illicit actions of the Russian Federation in the Eastern regions of Ukraine.
Illegal actions of Russia in Ukraine represent a continuation of its aggression in Georgia that occurred in August 2008 and as a result of which Abkhazian and South Ossetian/Tskhinvali regions of Georgia are occupied.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ukrainian side once again for unconditional support of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.
Intensification of strong support for each other and joint efforts in international organizations is particularly important for the purpose of ensuring that interests, challenges and problems are in the center of attention of the international community.
Merely three days ago our countries took part in the Eastern Partnership Summit. Alongside with the EU member states we adopted a declaration that is concentrated on the future and practical outcomes, to ensure that each of our citizens may benefit from approximation with the EU.
Our countries are joined by common goal, we want to become full-fledged members of European and Euro-Atlantic space. Georgia is ready to take further, even more active steps, we are ready to implement very complex and ambitious reform agenda that will ultimately lead us to our goal.
Finally, I would like to particularly emphasize that our relations have a huge perspective and through joint efforts we will manage to overcome challenges facing Georgia and Ukraine and ensure peaceful development and prosperity of the two friendly countries.
Once again, thank you for visiting Georgia!
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman:
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I would like to thank you for inviting us to Georgia. This is my first visit to our friendly state that, I believe, will foster deepening relations across various sectors. I would like to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and the people of Georgia for unconditional support for territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. We highly value coordination of these efforts at the international level. I would like to assure you that Ukraine is and will always be Georgia's reliable strategic partner. We support Georgia's territorial integrity and will spare no effort to intensify this support. We have organized very effective and high-quality negotiations with Mr. Prime Minister and members of the Government. We indicated several main directions. Deepening of the cooperation in cultural field is an important priority to us. I would like to particularly emphasize the warm and friendly relations between our people that will enable us to initiate high-quality policies in various areas.
We have a very good trend in terms of bilateral trade turnover, including trade in goods and services. I consider that we can have even more ambitious goal and increase the 500 million trade turnover to billion. This shall ne the new cooperation task. Alongside with mentioned, we may intensify cooperation across various sector, including agricultural field, various economic sectors and we will be glad to cooperate with Georgian business.
We have also discussed cooperation in the field of logistics.
One of the activities on our agenda is participation in the Silk Road Forum that will be held in Tbilisi tomorrow. I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the invitation. We agreed to outline specific action plan to construct a single road for shipping our goods and ensuring high-quality logistics with other partners to offer the best shipping service from Europe to Asia.
We have to simplify travels between our countries and for the citizens of our countries. We are aware of the fact that the citizens of both Georgia and Ukraine are interested in visiting our countries and today we expressed willingness to start negotiations on recognition of ID cards, to ensure more comfortable travel of our citizens.
I would like to emphasize that Ukrainian business is interested in Georgia's economic life and vice versa. Cooperation in this area is a high priority to us.
Dear Prime Minister, once again, I would like to thank you for an opportunity of visiting Tbilisi. I would like to reassert the readiness of our governmental team to take specific decisions that will foster developing of relations between our countries.
Thank you very much.