Austrian Foreign Minister meets Georgian lawmakers

Austrian Federal Minister of Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz is in Tbilisi and holding talks with Georgian leadership in Tbilisi today and tomorrow.

The Austrian diplomat has already met with his Georgian counterpart Maia Panjikidze and pledged relations between the two countries would deepen.

Austrian Embassy to open in Tbilisi

Georgian and Austrian Foreign Ministers discussed the possibility of opening an Austrian Embassy in Tbilisi.

"I asked Mr. Kurz to open an Austrian Embassy in Georgia in the near future,” Panjikidze told journalists at a joint press conference after the meeting.

Georgia is now within the competence of the Austrian Embassy in Baku, and the Embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi issued Schengen visas on behalf of Austria in Georgia.

Panjikidze also expressed her gratitude to Kurz for supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and "politics of non-recognition in the context of country’s breakaway regions”.

At the meeting the duo also spoke about the result of the recent NATO Summit.

"Despite Austria not being a member of NATO, I gave a talk at the Summit in Wales and agreed to further deepen cooperation,” Panjikidze said.

Austria promises to ratify EU-Georgia’s Association Agreement

The Austrian leader promised the Austrian Parliament would ratify the EU-Georgia Association Agreement by next spring.

"The ratification process is in accordance with our plan. The Austrian Parliament has already started working on the document,” Kurz said at the press conference.

The EU’s Association Agreements with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have already been ratified by Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Bulgaria. The agreement must be ratified by all 28 EU member states and the European Parliament.

Association Agreement was one of the main discussed topic between Kurz and Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili. 

Austrian-Georgian Business Forum in Vienna

The Austrian capital Vienna will host the Austrian-Georgian Business Forum this autumn.

The announcement came after Kurz’ meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at the Government Administration office.

 Austrian Federal Minister of Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz and Georgia's PM Irakli Garibashvili in Tbilisi: Photo by PM's Press Office.

Kurz said the Austrian Development Cooperation would further support Georgia in its economic transition and democratization.

"I have arrived in Georgia with a big business delegation because with Georgia, there is potential to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries,” Kurz said.

Meanwhile, the Austrian business delegation is taking part in the Georgian-Austrian Economic Forum, which will be addressed later by Kurz and Panjikidze.

The Austrian group included businessmen from transport and logistics, medical technologies, energy, engineering education, construction, real estate, infrastructure and metallurgy sectors.

The goal of the forum was strengthening bilateral cooperation between Austria and Georgia.

Meanwhile, Panjikidze believed forum participants would successfully be able to establish important links that connected Georgian and Austrian companies.

"Austria was the first country which invested in Georgia since its independence in 1991 and I am confident that Austria will be a leading investor country in Georgia,” Panjikidze said.