Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

The Memorandum of Understanding on emergency management was signed between the Georgian and Israeli governments at a meeting of the Georgian Interior Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Israeli Minister of Defence and Communication Gilad Erdan on May 9, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported.

Garibashvili, who is on official visit to Israil since May 6, has met with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Zeev Elkin. The meeting touched the cooperation between the two countries and their future plans.

A day before, Garibashvili also met with his counterpart Gideon Saar and the head of counter-terrorism bureau of Israel Eithan Ben-david. During the meetings the sides discussed issues of cooperation between the law-enforcement agencies and prospects of future interaction.

After the official meetings, the Georgian delegation visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Garibashvili also visited Yad Vashem museum and laid a wreath on the memorial of the Holocaust victims.

The meeting with Israeli Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and other officials also scheduled.

The diplomatic relations between Georgia and Israel were formally established on June 1, 1992. The Israel-Georgia Chamber of Business was established in 1996 in order to facilitate business transactions between the two countries.

Israel-Georgia bilateral cooperation has expanded rapidly over the past years and includes all fields of cooperation such as: regular bilateral and multilateral political dialogue, culture education and economy.

The opening of TBC Invest in Israel by Georgian leading TBC Bank
is a further confirmation of these close relationships.

TBC Invest strives to build on the current relationship and take it forward into the future by facilitating a simple and easy way of doing business in Georgia.

In 2010, Israel and Georgia signed agreements in the field of tourism and air traffic.

Israel has also engaged in extensive military cooperation with Georgia. Israel sold Georgia armored vehicles and small arms, and Israeli special forces and private contractors have trained Georgian troops.