Georgian PM meets with German Defence Minister in Tbilisi

Georgia-Germany bilateral relations have been discussed, as Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen this morning in Tbilisi.

Von der Leyen is paying an official visit to Georgia upon the invitation from her Georgian counterpart, Levan Izoria.

At today’s meeting, Von der Leyen and Kvirikashvili discussed the defence cooperation between Georgia and Germany. The German Minister commended the reforms Georgia implemented in the field of defence, the Georgian PM’s press office said following the meeting.

Georgian Prime Minister, German Foreign Minister meet at the Government Administration in Tbilisi. Photo: PM's press office.

The meeting also focused on other reforms currently ongoing in Georgia.

"The German Defence Minister expressed her gratitude for Georgia’s contribution to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and stressed the high professionalism and the level of readiness of the Georgian servicemen,” the press office said.

It added that in Von der Leyen’s words, the role of the Georgian Armed Forces is of utter importance for the Alliance.

The pair also discussed the challenges facing not only Georgia, but the entire region. It was stressed that Georgia and Germany should deepen their cooperation in various fields.

Georgian Prime Minister, German Foreign Minister meet at the Government Administration in Tbilisi. Photo: PM's press office.

While in Tbilisi, Von der Leyen will visit the Defence Institution Building School (DIB-S) on Chonkadze Street, where she will be briefed about the school’s recent progress. The DIB-S is one of the 15 projects from the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which is decisively supported by Germany. Germany is not only the project manager, but has also allocated €740,000 for the development of the DIB-S.

The German official will meet with Georgian Minister Izoria as well, after which a joint press conference of the two officials is scheduled at the Defence Ministry in Tbilisi.