Finland's Foreign Minister Hosts Georgia's Foreign Minister
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Elina Valtonen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, hosted Ilia Darchiashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, for discussions.Following the meeting, Valtonen affirmed Finland's strong support for Georgia's integration into the European Union. Additionally, she expressed Finland's endorsement of the ongoing reforms in Georgia and expressed satisfaction that Georgia has committed to a future rooted in values, human rights, and the rule of law.
According to the head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Georgia and Finland have a very strong partnership with ample opportunities for further development.
In response, Ilia Darchiashvili expressed gratitude to Elina Valtonen for her hospitality and support.
"We have repeatedly mentioned how important Finland's unwavering support is, as well as your constant involvement and support for Georgia's European integration. We Georgians are very grateful for that," said Darchiashvili.
Minister Darchiashvili acknowledged the significant milestone achieved by Georgia in obtaining candidate status for European Union membership. He emphasized the importance of the next phase - initiating accession negotiations - and expresses readiness to collaborate closely with Finland and Brussels in this endeavor.
Additionally, Minister Darchiashvili extended gratitude to Finland for its support in Georgia's foreign policy endeavors and affirms Georgia's reliability as a partner in the Black Sea region.
"Georgia has reached one of the most important stages - it has obtained candidate status. The next step for us will be to work closely with you and Brussels to move to the next important stage: the opening of accession negotiations.
Once again, I would like to express my gratitude for supporting Georgia's foreign policy priorities, territorial integrity, and sovereignty. Georgia is a reliable partner of Finland in the Black Sea region, and I hope that the interesting dialogues held today will contribute to the start of a new stage in bilateral relations," Darchiashvili stated.
