Georgian PM, German parliament member discuss bilateral relations

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has met with member of the German parliament, former German defence minister, member of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDC) party Franz Josef Jung.

Georgian-German bilateral relations and the ongoing reforms in Georgia were tin focus of the meeting that took place at the Government Administration in Tbilisi today.

Kvirikashvili thanked Jung and the Bundestag for the resolution adopted in support of Georgia this June. The resolution said that in terms of implementing reforms under the Eastern Partnership, Georgia is a distinguished leader and deserves special recognition.

• German Parliament: "Georgia is distinguished leader and deserves special recognition”

Kvirikashvili stressed the role of Germany in supporting Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration pass, as well as the country’s territorial integrity and the recent European Union (EU) visa waiver for Georgian citizens.

Jung highlighted the role of Georgia in ensuring European and global security.

The pair also discussed the difficult humanitarian situation in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions. Kvirikashvili briefed Jung on the ongoing process of so-called passportisation and borderisation, where the occupation force erects artificial barriers to restrict the movement along the occupation line and also makes Abkhazians and Ossetians get Russian passports.

This year, Georgia and Germany celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first German settlements in Georgia and the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations. 2017 has also been announced as the Georgia-German Friendship Year.