French FM arrives in Georgia in first trip in five years
The French FM was welcomed by Teimuraz Janjalia, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia.Photo: Foreign Ministry press office
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Catherine Colonna, the French Foreign Minister, on Friday arrived in Georgia to mark the first trip of a French top diplomat to Tbilisi in five years, as the visiting official was welcomed by Teimuraz Janjalia, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia.
The Ministry said Janjalia welcomed Colonna at Tbilisi International Airport and noted the French FM would meet with her Georgian counterpart Ilia Darchiashvili before a joint press briefing. She will also meet the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zourabichvili.
The visit comes as part of the French top diplomat’s South Caucasus trip. She will arrive in Baku and Yerevan after the meetings with Georgian officials.
The French official’s visit also comes ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July and the European Union’s forthcoming decision whether to grant Georgia its membership candidate status by the end of this year.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Wednesday said Colonna’s visit was an “opportunity” to demonstrate Georgia’s progress in efforts for European integration.
French and German ambassadors to Georgia, Sheraz Gasri and Peter Fischer, on Friday said the European Union had “opened its arms” to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova in last year’s decisions on the Associated Trio countries’ aspirations for joining the bloc, in a joint statement released on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Friday said France was an “important partner” with a “particular importance” in shaping positions of the European Union, ahead of the visit of the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to Georgia.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Wednesday said the visit of the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to the country this week was an “opportunity” to demonstrate Georgia’s progress in efforts for European integration.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will visit Georgia on Friday to meet the country’s officials, the French foreign office said.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Friday highlighted the importance of the visit of the top French diplomat to the country, and noted that France was an “unwavering” partner in building the country's “European future”.
The bilateral relations between Georgia and France and the European perspective of the country were discussed on Friday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Catherine Colonna, the French Foreign Minister, who is on an official visit to Georgia.
Georgia’s European Union integration and France’s support in this regard were discussed on Friday in a meeting between Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and Catherine Colonna, the French Foreign Minister.
Georgia’s French-born President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday extended her well-wishes to the French people on their national holiday of Bastille Day by calling it a “source of inspiration for freedom”
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, discussed Georgia-EU relations, the country's European perspective and expectations for obtaining bloc’s candidate membership status this year, in her meetings with French officials, the Committee said on Friday.
Beka Davituliani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday claimed chances for Georgia’s obtaining of the European Union membership candidate status in December had been “substantially increased”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Friday expressed his confidence that Georgia and France would enhance their ties in his message to Stéphane Séjourné, who on Thursday was appointed the new Foreign Minister of his country.