UK Foreign Secretary to meet Georgian officials, civil society groups in Tbilisi visit
Cleverly will also visit the administrative line separating the Russian-occupied regions from the rest of the country to be introduced about the current situation in areas adjacent to the line. Photo: Reuters
Tweet 
Share
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet Georgian officials and civil society groups during his official visit to the country on Thursday and Friday, the Georgian foreign service said.
In the framework of the visit, the top British diplomat will review cooperation with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his counterpart Ilia Darchiashvili.
Cleverly will also visit the administrative line separating the Russian-occupied regions from the rest of the country to be introduced about the current situation in areas adjacent to the line.
In addition, he will attend an event organised by the Digital Governance Agency on the topic of cybersecurity.
Ahead of the visit, Cleverly said “few societies understand the underhand tactics of Russian malign activity more than Moldova and Georgia”.
Coinciding with the visit, the British foreign service also said the UK would be providing £500,000 in aid to help create an environment for “free and fair elections” in Georgia in 2024 and protect them from external interference.
Terms of operation of airline companies between Georgia and the United Kingdom, from tariffs to flight frequency and safety regulations, were agreed in a deal signed between authorities of the two countries on Friday.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Jonathan Djanogly, the Chair of the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on Georgia on Thursday discussed the “strong” inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries and the support of the British Parliament demonstrated to Georgia.
Strategic partnership between Georgia and the United Kingdom and “intensive” bilateral and multilateral cooperation involving the sides were discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his British counterpart James Cleverly.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said the United Kingdom remained “resolute” in its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, in a letter to his counterpart Irakli Garibashvili.
James Cleverly, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, on Thursday arrived in Georgia on an official visit, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
Cooperation between Georgia and the United Kingdom was discussed on Thursday in an informal setting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his British counterpart James Cleverly, who is on an official visit to the country.
A meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Friday highlighted the “strategic partnership” between the states and the existing “high-level” political dialogue, the Government Administration said.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday discussed “strategic partnership” and “dynamically developing relations” with the United Kingdom while hosting Sir Philip Robert Barton, the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK.
The United Kingdom has tightened transit flight rules for citizens of Georgia and over 100 other states with a requirement to obtain a Direct Airside Transit Visa, the Georgian foreign office said on Wednesday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday discussed his country’s relations with the United Kingdom, the “difficult” security and humanitarian situation in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions and existing security challenges in the South Caucasus region with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.