Israeli President visits Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, January 11
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin visited Georgia on January 8, a day after a terrorist attack in Jerusalem claiming the lives of four and injuring more than 10 others.
Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili expressed his sadness over attack at the very beginning of his meeting with Israeli top official.
"Mr President, welcome to Georgia. We are honoured to host you. Please accept my sincere sympathies over the terrorist attack.
“It was an act against humanity, and Georgia is standing by you in the fight against terrorism. We are appalled at this heinous act against humankind. Terrorists seek to alter the development agenda of our states, and we must stand together in this process,” Kvirikashvili stated.
Israeli President thanked the Georgian PM for his solidarity.
"Because of the terrorist attack, we were considering postponing this visit to Georgia. But we said no, terrorists cannot stop us. Thus, it is an honour to be with you today," Rivlin stated.
During the discussion, the successful cooperation between the two countries in different directions was emphasized.
It was stressed that 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, and expressed hope that it would be an excellent opportunity further to deepen the friendly relations between the stats..
At the meeting, attention was paid to the mechanisms of successful bilateral relations.
The Prime Minister of Georgia and the President of Israel also discussed the countries' growing economic cooperation, trade dynamics, investments of Israeli companies in Georgia, and the increasing numbers of visitors.
According to them, the Bilateral Intergovernmental Economic Commission, the second session of which will be held in Tbilisi after setting the exact date, is an effective mechanism to achieve common economic cooperation objectives.
Rivlin also met Georgia’s President, Giorgi Margvelashvili.
At the meeting, Margvelashvili stated Georgian troops are protecting global security against terrorism in different countries of the world.
‘We do not prove our devotion to the values with words, but with action. We support the Israeli people today…we believe that the cooperation between the countries having goodwill, based on the interests of our statehood will lead the effective resolution of the terrorism problem as well as of the problem of the Islamic State,” Margvelashvili stated.
