Civil Georgia
April 7, 2022

Georgian FM Attends NATO Ministerial

Freshly appointed Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili attended today the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Brussels, where he also held face-to-face meetings with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and top diplomats of the Netherlands and Turkey.

The Georgian FM participated in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in the Foreign Ministers’ session alongside colleagues from Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

During the session, FM Darchiashvili said he focused on “Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path and existing challenges across the region.”

In the meeting with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the Ministerial, FM Darchiashvili stressed the importance of NATO’s continued support for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, the Foreign Ministry reported.

Also on April 7, the Georgian Foreign Ministry stated that top diplomat Darchiashvili and Turkish FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu discussed “the crisis in Ukraine,” and Ankara’s efforts in the peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

The top diplomats also talked about further deepening trade and economic ties, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“I once again reiterated how much we value Turkey’s firm support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted about the meeting.

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Meanwhile, FM Darchiashvili and Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra discussed Georgia’s EU membership application and the situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Tskhinvali/South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

…The Dutch FM on his part expressed the Netherlands’ readiness to step up cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries.

Also, FM Darchiashvili said he had a brief exchange with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, with the sides agreeing to “continue close communication.”

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FM Darchiashvili replaced David Zalkaliani, who stepped down as the Foreign Minister on April 4 to become Georgia’s Ambassador to the U.S.

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The Messenger
April 8, 2022

Georgian FM Attends NATO Ministerial

Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the NATO Ministerial.Newly appointed Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili is on an official visit to Brussels between Wednesday and Friday to hold a series of high-level meetings with EU and NATO officials.

Darchiashvili attended the NATO Ministerial yesterday, where he held face-to-face meetings with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and top diplomats of the Netherlands and Turkey. NATO Secretary-General has stressed the importance of NATO partner countries attending the forum, underscoring that their presence at the ministerial is a sign of unity in supporting Ukraine.

Darchiashvili and the Secretary-General of NATO discussed NATO-Georgia cooperation and the security environment in the Black Sea region. As Darchiashvili noted, inviting Georgia to the NATO Ministerial is another expression of the alliance’s support for Georgia.

…NATO’s firm support toward Georgia and its Euro-Atlantic integration was also stressed.

…NATO could increase support for Georgia through the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, including “in areas like situational awareness, secure communications and cyber.”

Darchiashvili noted that he had an opportunity to have a brief exchange with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the forum.

“We agreed to continue close communication and I reiterated Georgia’s support to Ukraine,” Georgian FM tweeted.

Within the framework of NATO Ministerial, Georgian FM also met with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. The sides focused on the crisis in Ukraine and the difficult security environment in the region. Turkish PM also emphasized the support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.