Anniversary of Georgia-Denmark diplomatic relations
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, July 4
On July 1st 2017, the Kingdom of Denmark and Georgia celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“In the course of the past 25 years, the two European nations have developed a very close partnership both on bilateral and multilateral levels,” the Georgian and Danish foreign ministries wrote in a joint statement.
The foreign ministry of Denmark stressed that in sharing the same fundamental values, the Kingdom of Denmark remains a firm supporter of Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
“Since regaining its independence, Georgia has embarked on a remarkable and successful journey to consolidate its democracy and implement comprehensive reforms, and has become one of the EU’s closest eastern partner countries,” the Denmark’s foreign ministry stated.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said that the county highly values the assistance provided by Denmark throughout these years, including the recent decision of the Danish Government to step up cooperation with Georgia within the framework of the Danish Neighbourhood Program 2017 – 2021, which focuses on the “most important issues for both countries”, such as promoting human rights and democracy and strengthening sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Georgia’s ministry said that as an associated partner of the European Union, the country strives to achieve the closest possible integration with the Union, its agencies and programs, while extensively adopting best established practices of its member states and candidate countries.
“In this regard, Denmark serves as one of the best examples for Georgia’s continuous approximation with the European Union. Georgia, with Danish assistance, aims at achieving a greater level of democracy, rule of law, protection of human rights, gender equality and social welfare.
“At the same time, the full scale implementation of the Association Agreement with the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) opens up ample opportunities for Georgia and the EU alike. The recent decision of the European Council to abolish visa requirements for the Georgian citizens is a demonstration of Georgia’s substantial progress and determination,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry stated.
Denmark highlighted that they fully support the decisions from the NATO Warsaw Summit regarding Georgian membership in the alliance, and also applauded Georgia’s active participation in allied operations.
“In a similar manner, Georgia supports and welcomes NATO’s enhanced tailored presence in the Black Sea region and is ready to contribute to efforts of the Alliance in this regard,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry stated.
The Kingdom of Denmark stresses it remains a firm supporter of Georgia’s territorial integrity and Georgia’s internationally recognised borders.
“Denmark continues to support Georgia’s peaceful conflict resolution policy, calls on all involved parties to uphold international law and stresses the importance of achieving progress within the Geneva International Discussions,” the statement reads.
