Georgia and Israel-a long history of diplomatic relations
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2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Israel.
The two countries enjoy solid relations and cooperation in numerous fields, including politics and culture, tourism and religion.
Israel was one of the first countries to offer aid to Georgia after the Tbilisi flood in 2015. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo offered Georgia help in searching for escaped animals and supplied equipment for the task. The zoo also helped Tbilisi reconstruct its wildlife park.
Jerusalem and Tbilisi agreed on a visa-free regime in 2013, as a result of which Georgian citizens travelling to Israel as tourists or private visitors can stay in the country for up to 90 days without a visa during a 6 month period. The same goes for Israeli tourists to Georgia.
These measures have reflected positively on Georgia’s tourism industry. Last year in 2016, 100,000 tourists visited Georgia thanks to the visa-free regime; this was a 57% growth in comparison to 2015.
Many Israeli tourists come to Georgia looking to visit monuments of the Jewish cultural legacy of the country. To aid travellers interested in such aspects of Georgia’s cultural heritage, the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) published an illustrated book last year for Jewish travellers with detailed information on synagogues and Jewish history museums in Georgia.
Relations between the two nations date back several thousands of years, back to the 6th century BCE, when the Jews were expelled from Israel under their Babylonian rulers.
Officially, there are currently less than 4,000 Jews in Georgia. According to Tbilisi’s Beit Ha-tfutsot (Museum of the Jewish Peoples), approximately 30,000 Georgian Jews emigrated from the country en - masse in the 1970s due to softer emigration policies in the USSR for the Jews. This wave of immigration made for 17 percent of Soviet Jewish emigrants during that period.
Just yesterday, President of Israel Reuven Rivlin paid a two-day visit to Georgia’s capital Tbilisi where he met his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and other state officials.
"We are proud that we are friends with Georgia and I thank you for making us feel at home in Georgia”, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said as he spoke at a press conference in Tbilisi, Georgia today
Jewish people in Georgia and across the world are celebrating Hanukkah, an eight-day festival of lights. Georgia’s Prime Minister and President congratulated Jews on the holiday.
Georgian citizens can now travel to Israel without a visa for tourism or other private reasons.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili have wished a happy Passover to Georgia’s Jewish community and all those celebrating the holiday.
A recreational square will soon open in central Tbilisi in honour of four Georgian men who died while helping others during the Holocaust and are known as the "Georgian Schindlers”.
Georgia and Israel have agreed the two states will cooperate to reach a deal on labour migration. The decision was announced after a delegation from Israel held bilateral consultations in Tbilisi today.
The Government of Georgia has recognized the 26 centuries of Georgian-Jewish relations as intangible cultural heritage. PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili said late yesterday at a special event dedicated to the announcement that Georgia has addressed UNESCO to also recognise the unique relations and give them the status of intangible cultural heritage.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has visited Georgia for the first time today.
Georgian Foreign Ministry has denied the mass detention of Georgian citizens in Israel as reported by several of Georgian media outlets. The ministry reported earlier today that 24 Georgians have been brought to the deportation centre of Israel’s immigration service in the past few days.
Lasha Zhvania, who recently served as the head of President Salome Zurabishvili’s administration, will represent the country in Israel. Tea Katukia will be the Georgian Ambassador to France and the country's permanent representative to UNESCO.
Ran Gidor, an Israeli diplomat who previously served in the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, has been appointed as the new ambassador of Israel to Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is holding meetings in Israel, has stated that relations between Georgia and Israel ‘are not only deep and close, they are historical’ as 26 centuries ‘have shaped the bonds between the Jewish and Georgian people.’ Zurabishvili has met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, with whom an agreement was reached that the process of signing the agreement on legal employment of Georgians in Israel will be accelerated.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is on her first official visit to Israel, has attended the 5th World Holocaust Forum with top state officials across the world earlier today.
A space and memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, the World War II genocide of European Jews, will be opened in Tbilisi, Tbilisi City Assembly officials stated earlier today, while marking the international day for Holocaust victims.
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Davit Zalkaliani has responded to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his post on Twitter, saying Georgia 'strongly condemns' violence and rocket attacks against civilians.