Georgian and Bulgarian Foreign Ministries Have Held Political Consultations
By Trend
Sofia hosted another round of political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Georgia and Bulgaria. The Georgian delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vakhtang Makharoblishvili while Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Sterk headed the Bulgarian delegation, GeorgiaToday reports.
The sides spoke about the agenda of bilateral, as well as
multilateral co-operation between Georgia and Bulgaria. Special
mention was taken of the close and friendly relations between the
two countries based on strong people-to-people contacts. Vakhtang
Makharoblishvili thanked Yuri Sterk for his government’s firm
support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as
well as for Bulgaria’s contribution to the EUMM that is the only
functioning international mechanism on the ground. The Deputy
Minister placed high value Bulgaria’s important contribution
towards advancing Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration
process. In this context, the role of the Bulgarian embassy in
Tbilisi as one of NATO’s liaison embassy was also highlighted.
While on the theme of bilateral relations, the sides gave positive
appraisal to the relations at the political level. The necessity of
intensifying high-level visits was also mentioned. Talking points
included prospects for the development of trade-economic
co-operation. The importance of the Georgia-Bulgaria
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Co-operation was also
highlighted. The sides agreed to schedule next meeting of the
Commission in Bulgaria, for early 2019.
The sides singled out for special mention the transport and energy
potential of the two countries owing to the strategic location of
Georgia and Bulgaria providing a link between Europe and Asia. In
this light, the Deputy Ministers stressed the need to further
activate ferry traffic between the Georgian and Bulgarian ports and
to establish new routes.
Special attention was paid to the relations with the European
Union. Vakhtang Makharoblishvili congratulated Bulgaria on its
successful presidency of the EU Council. For his part, Yuri Sterk
highly appraised Georgia’s EU integration progress and pledged the
country further support on this path.
Discussions also focused on Georgia’s NATO integration process.
Black Sea security issues and, in this light, Georgia-NATO
co-operation, were also highlighted during the consultations.
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