President Zourabichvili Meets Steinmeier and Merkel in Berlin
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, February 22
After completing an official visit to France, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili is paying a visit to Germany, where she met the President and the Chancellor of the country.
With her German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Zourabichvili discussed Georgia-Germany bilateral relations and Georgia’s European aspirations. The meeting highlighted Germany’s special role in Georgia’s EU integration process.
Zourabichvili noted that it is crucial for Georgia to have a loyal friend such as Germany in the heart of Europe and that along with France they will support Georgia to become a full-fledged member of the EU.
The sides also held a joint press conference, where Zourabichvili thanked her colleagues for the political, economic or cultural support that Germany has been expressing for years.
“Since the very first day, Germany has been the second largest donor in terms of financial aid for Georgia. This financial support continues up to date. We hope that our economic ties will be further strengthened – more German companies will enter the Georgian market with more investments” she stated.
Zourabichvili also noted that the role of Germany in Georgia’s relations with Russia is very important.
“The Georgian Government continues promoting the non-recognition policy of Georgia’s occupied territories that is also supported by our friend Germany. We hope that it will be possible to solve this issue in a new, more advanced political framework. We are trying to renew contact and improve relations with people living in the occupied regions in order to move the frozen condition to a different phase. Germany’s role in Russia-Georgia relations is crucial,” she stressed.
Georgian President’s Administration reports that Steinmeier highlighted that Georgia and Germany, apart from economic and cultural ties, also share bilateral political relations.
He noted that Georgia is an exemplary country in terms of economic reforms through which the country demonstrated impressive progress.
At the meeting with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, the sides focused on the current environment on Georgia’s occupied territories, challenges facing the country, and Russian aggressive policy towards Georgia.
Zourabichvili stressed that currently, Georgia does not have the means to deal with this situation alone and depends on friends and their efforts to influence and put pressure on Russia to change the policy.
“Our position is as follows: Georgia’s friends and partners – Germany, France, and the US should be more actively engaged in a dialogue and call on Russia over and over again that its attitude must change,” she said after the meeting.
