EU ambassador: ‘I cannot think of a better place to be right now than here in Georgia’
EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell has praised the efforts of the Georgian government to combat the virus.Photo: EU in Georgia press office.
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EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that when the coronavirus is ‘turning the world upside down’ he ‘cannot think of a better place to be right now than here in Georgia.’
Hartzell states that there are no easy answers regarding COVID-19 and that the EU is suffering much from the virus.
Just look at the pictures coming out of Spain and Italy these days. In this context I would like to congratulate the Georgian government and the Georgian politicians for doing what all evidence suggest is the right approach – to act early and to act robustly,” Hartzell said.
Hartzell also praised the Georgian people for supporting these measures and for acting responsibly in order to stem the spreading of the virus.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt admiration for the medical professionals, for doctors and nurses, for law enforcement and border guards and others who are working tirelessly these day for the safety and security of everyone here. This crisis is not only a health crisis but also a tremendous economic challenge. Therefore, I am proud to be working alongside other international partners under the leadership of the Georgian government to properly assess the needs and to set out a way ahead.”
Hartzell said that the EU stands with Georgia and is Georgia’s largest donor and strongest partner and ‘we will remain that’.
In addition, we are looking at special measures, for the economy, for business and to help the most vulnerable groups of society. This will be a long process no doubt, but we are in this together.”
Since February 26,2020 Georgia has had 77 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 10 have recovered.
Of 77 cases, two were foreign citizens who are no longer in Georgia.
As of now 65 are infected with the virus in Georgia.
Georgia has reported two new cases of COVID-19 today, connected with the US and France. The total number of confirmed cases in Georgia stands at 77. 10 of the 77 have recovered, while two were Austrian citizens who have already left the country via a charter flight.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili wishes “a quick recovery” to Prince Charles, who has recently tested positive for the new coronavirus and is self-isolating in his home in Scotland.
Georgia will test locals of Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities in eastern Georgia with 1,000 rapid coronavirus tests, which provide results within an hour and a half. Eventually the country will have a total of 200,000 rapid coronavirus tests.
Georgia’s Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili has stated that products that are brought from Marneuli and Bolnisi quarantine zones in the country's east are ‘absolutely safe and harmless’ in terms of spread of the new coronavirus – COVID-19.
The Emergency Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has set up a field hospital in Marneuli municipality in eastern Georgia today after a local, 62-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, and who came into contact with more than 80 people and spent four days in a local hospital.
US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has praised the Georgian government for its ‘proactive steps’ to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus. “These are challenging times, and we are all trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy. We at the U.S. Embassy are particularly grateful for the pro-active efforts of the government of Georgia, including the NCDC, the PM, the president, almost every ministry, and parliament, doing their best to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus and minimize its impacts”, she said.
A pregnant woman from Bolnisi Municipality in Eastern Georgia has tested positive for coronavirus today; she is the close relative of a 62-year-old patient from Marneuli municipality, who also tested positive for the virus on March 22.
Top state officials from the UK and Spain have expressed their gratitude to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili for her words of solidarity in these hard times due to the coronavirus.
The World Bank is offering €45 million to support Georgia implement ongoing reforms in areas critical for inclusive economic growth and also assist in the country’s efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has praised the efforts of the Georgian government against the coronavirus, saying that the country is coping with the virus successfully. Stoltenberg phoned Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani to relay this message and say that the NATO foreign ministerial on April 3-4 will be held in a restricted manner, Georgian Foreign Ministry said. “NATO stands by the Georgian government and its people in the fight against the coronavirus,” the foreign ministry cited Stoltenberg as saying.
NATO Foreign Ministers have decided to deepen their partnerships with Georgia and Ukraine including with exercises in the strategic Black Sea region. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this includes joint work to counter hybrid warfare, as well as efforts to share more air traffic radar data, “making the skies safer for all”.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and President Salome Zurabishvili wished a quick recovery to British PM Boris Johnson, who was admitted to hospital earlier today due to the coronavirus-related complications.
The EU Delegation to Georgia and US Embassy have praised the efforts of Georgian health workers and others on World Health Day, which is marked today, expressing gratitude for their efforts in the fight against the coronavirus.
The Georgian National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Parliamentary Library are hosting a virtual exhibition dedicated to Georgian medical personnel fighting on the front line against the new coronavirus.
The representatives of international financial organisations operating in Georgia and representatives of the diplomatic corps have sent a joint open letter to the Georgian government and Georgian people, praising the country's resilient response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgian officials have thanked representatives of international financial organisations and diplomatic corps for their recent open letter to the Georgian government and Georgian people, praising the country's resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia has reported 12 new cases of the coronavirus earlier today, bringing the total number of cases to 230. Of the 230, 54 individuals have recovered, three people have died and two others were foreign citizens who left the country last month. As of today Georgia has 171 active cases of the virus. Two of the 16 new patients are Georgian truck drivers who tested positive for the virus in Armenia.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has praised the measures taken by the government of Georgia in the fight against the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), along with current economic and political reforms in the country during a video conference with the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia held today.
Georgia will benefit from over €183 million ($198,282,717) of redirected bilateral funds from the European Union in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili by phone and praised the measures Georgia has carried out in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis spoke with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili by phone and said he will pray for Georgia on May 14 in his prayer to save the word from the pandemic and named Georgia as a country with ‘great spirituality’ adding that the Georgian nation is ‘precious’ to him.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier today to discuss cooperation between the two countries and wrote on her twitter account that Georgia and South Korea are “ready to move to more concrete steps on free trade, more tourism, and more cooperation once this pandemic is over.”
Georgia today is a worthy, strategic partner of NATO, a reliable ally and the most compatible aspirant to the organisation in the region, said Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Gharibashvili earlier today.
European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, have signed two agreements worth €129 million today in Brussels to assist Georgia in coping with the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the country's economy.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Harzell has said in his New Year statement that 2020 was a year that started with a political crisis and ended with another, election-related political crisis in Georgia.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has stated that a lot of progress has been made in Georgia, noting that ‘a lot of work is still needed to build a solid human rights culture and to avoid any backsliding on results achieved.’
The European Union and the World Health Organization have donated medical equipment, including 2,000 pulse oximeters and 180 oxygen concentrators to Georgia in order to help the medical facilities in rural areas of the country fight Covid-19.