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30th anniversary of German-Georgian diplomatic relations

Wednesday, April 13, 2022
On 13 April 2022, Germany and Georgia celebrate the 30th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relations. Germany was the first country to appoint an ambassador to Georgia, shortly after its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992. That year, on 13 April, German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher payed an official visit to Tbilisi, sending a strong signal for the recognition of Georgia’s sovereignty and trust in its democratic development by the international community.

The visit was a new beginning in a long-standing friendship: The first German travellers to Georgia arrived in the 18th century. Swabian settlers established more than twenty colonies in Kvemo Kartli. Throughout the years, Georgia became an attractive country for German travellers, scientists and specialists in various fields to settle. Their footprints have been preserved until today: Some of the most beautiful streets and squares of Tbilisi bear the signature of German architects. In 1918, Germany importantly supported the independence of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia through its diplomatic and military representation in Tbilisi. Eminent Georgians who studied in Germany include Ivane Djavakhishvili, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia and Davit Saradjishvili.

Today, Germany and Georgia continue their close political cooperation, with Germany actively supporting Georgia's aspirations to move closer to EU and NATO. In recent years, Germany gave its support to the Association Agreement with the EU and the visa liberalisation scheme.

In addition, Germany has always been particularly committed to resolving the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia: German diplomat Dieter Boden, acting on UN instructions, engineered a plan for the resolution of the Abkhaz issue and presented it to the Security Council. In 2008, then foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier held intensive talks to convince all stakeholders to avert the conflict. In recent years, the highest representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, now in the capacity of federal president, visited Georgia and reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In the field of development cooperation, Germany has provided over 1.2 billion euros of bilateral assistance to Georgia since 1992. From early on, Germany played a key role in reforming the Georgian justice system and restoring electricity supply after the collapse of the Soviet Union, both crucial preconditions for Georgia’s economic development.

Nowadays, German-Georgian cooperation focuses on energy and energy efficiency, technical vocational education, sustainable urban development, private sector development and good governance. Furthermore, Germany supports sustainable forest management, biodiversity and the national parks and other protected areas. In the vital field of education, Germany contributes to strengthening Georgia’s dual and practice-oriented vocational education, increasing the availability of skilled specialists for the Georgian labour market. A key driver of bilateral economic relations, the German-Georgian business association unites more than 160 member companies.

The dynamic relations between Germany and Georgia would not be possible without the strong social and cultural ties that unite the two countries. One phenomenal milestone in recent years was Georgia’s participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair as a guest of honour in 2018. On this occasion, about 250 Georgian books were translated into German language, an additional 200 publications about Georgia appeared on the German market.

Finally, military cooperation has been and continues to be an indispensable part of bilateral relations. For twenty years, the German Bundeswehr has assisted Georgia with the development of its national armed forces, establishing a non-commissioned officers’ (NCO) school and providing military supplies, transport and other equipment. Germany initiated the “Substantial NATO-Georgia Package”, continues to be one of its major sponsors today and leads the initiatives for military engineering, for the Defense Institution Building School and for military medical capacity building. More than 2300 young Georgians study in Germany and German is one of the most-taught languages in Georgia.