Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze participated in the fifth summit of the European Political Community in Budapest, during which he held meetings with several European leaders and European Council President Charles Michel.
The summit in Hungary brought together presidents and heads of government of 42 countries, including 24 EU countries, as well as Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, Switzerland and other countries.
“The summit was interesting. I had an opportunity to speak both at the thematic meeting, where I spoke about economic security issues, and at the final plenary session, where I spoke both directly about current processes in Georgia and about Georgia-EU relations,” Kobakhidze told reporters.
Georgia's relations with the European Union were discussed at meetings with European leaders, among others.
“Naturally, we used these formats as well in order to convey our messages to our partners as much as possible,” Kobakhidze said.
According to the government press service, Kobakhidze noted at the meeting with Charles Michel that the Georgian government is committed to European integration and that support and fair approaches from partners are of particular importance in this process.
“The conversation also touched upon the current developments in Georgia. The head of the government once again confirmed the readiness of the Georgian authorities for an open and sincere discussion,” the report said.
Kobakhidze also met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset. The meeting focused on the fruitful cooperation between Georgia and the Council of Europe, which contributes significantly to the reform process on the way of Georgia's integration into the European Union.
The sides also discussed the challenges to the security of Europe and the situation in the territories outside of Georgia's control - Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).
Bala noted the role of the Council of Europe in the peaceful settlement of conflicts and in the process of restoring confidence, including through humanitarian projects and dialog mechanisms.
“Prime Minister expressed readiness to further deepen relations with the Council of Europe and stressed the important role of the organization in the process of strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law on the European continent,” the government press service said.
At the meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo, the sides noted the positive dynamics of the development of bilateral relations in different spheres and expressed readiness to further deepen the partnership.
The sides spoke about the potential of trade and economic cooperation and promotion of tourism.
Kobakhidze thanked his counterpart from Slovakia for his firm support of Georgia's integration process into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
“The head of the government noted that European integration is one of the top priorities of the country's foreign policy, and in this process the support of partners is given special importance,” the press service said.
Fitzo congratulated Kobakhidze on the victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the October 26 parliamentary elections, and Kobakhidze in turn invited him to Georgia.
Kobakhidze also met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of the summit.
“We emphasized our readiness to further strengthen ties between Serbia and Georgia and the importance of improving bilateral relations and cooperation on the European path,” Vucic wrote on social media after the meeting.
The two sides exchanged views on economy, security and energy, and noted that peace and stability in the region are of key importance for the European continent.
Reprinted from https://sputnik-georgia.ru
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