Georgian Foreign Minister visits Greece

Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Maia Panjikidze has begun her official visit to Greece.

The Georgian official met her Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos, who is also the current Deputy Prime Minister of Greece, today.

After the meeting, Panjikidze and Venizelos held a joint press conference for journalists.

The pair discussed the historical bonds of friendship between the two nations and appraised Georgia’s progress to conclude the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union (EU).

Panjikidze noted the agreement would be signed during the Hellenic presidency of the Council of the EU.

The Foreign Ministers swapped views on issues relating to bilateral and international interest as well as Georgia’s relations with NATO.

"I would like express gratitude to Greece for supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as its European and Euro Atlantic aspiration,” Panjikidze said.

At the end of the meeting Panjikidze stressed the importance of bilateral high level meetings and emphasized the need to present the work of Georgian translations of modern Greek literature.

Panjikidze and Venizelos met each other in November last year in Brussels at one of the margins of the meetings between NATO Foreign Ministers.

At the end of last year’s meeting they signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries, which gave practical expression to Greece’s will to contribute to the promotion of reforms that will bring Georgia closer to the EU.

Watch Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs speech below: