Ambassadorial: Georgia’s foreign policy is 'irreversible'

Georgia’s foreign policy will be irreversible in the future, believed Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, and pledges it will become even more pragmatic.

The country’s first diplomat said foreign policy priorities and strategic goals were irreversible and she was confident the process of dealing with challenges would be more reasonable.

"I would like to stress that Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration are the main priority of the authority that depends on the free choice of the local population,” Panjikidze said in her remarks at the 2014 Ambassadorial meeting in Tbilisi today, attended by heads of Georgia’s Diplomatic Mission.

While assessing the work of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry and Diplomatic Mission and outlining plans for 2015, Panjikidze said de-occupation of the country, strengthening its security and sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity and enhancement of international involvement in this regard would be the priority areas where Georgia’s diplomatic missions would continue to work.

She also said the Foreign Ministry would continue working on various priorities including Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration, development of strategic partnership with the US, de-escalation of relations with the Russian Federation, promotion of democratic and sustainable development of Georgia and raising the country’s international role through bilateral and multilateral relations as well as improving Georgia’s economic and cultural diplomacy.

Panjikidze believed 2014 would go down in Georgia’s historic for signing the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union (EU).

"This year Georgia came even closer with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),” Panjikidze said.

The first ever Ambassadors’ Meeting was held in 1995 when Georgia’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister, Irakli Menagarishvili, brought Georgian and foreign diplomats together at the Georgian Government’ s Chancery, where they discussed plans for developing the country, regional relations and future prospects.