FM Zalkaliani discusses occupation with his colleagues at UN General Assembly

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Davit Zalkaliani met with his colleagues during the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. At the meetings with the representatives of Georgia’s partner states and organizations, the main topic of discussion was the critical humanitarian and security situation in the occupied regions.

“We discussed the situation in the occupied regions, the so-called borderization process, everyone is absolutely alarmed. We overviewed all the existing formats, which are relevant for discussing this topic. It was noted that additional measures and mechanisms should be put in place for the issue to be resolved effectively, therefore we discussed that,” said Zalkaliani.

According to the Minister, the Geneva discussions aren’t moving forward and there are no breakthroughs and no results achieved on the four main issues of the negotiations. “We discussed how we can help Geneva from the outside,” he said.

“What our partners think is very important to us. Consultations with them and their position on this issue will be imperative for us. The UN is a place and format that everyone uses to show progress on certain issues,” noted the Foreign Minister.

Zalkaliani also noted that during the meetings Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process was also discussed.

“We have clear support and once again it has been affirmed that we are a leading country and the progress deserves appropriate steps from the other side. Occupation and illegal so-called borderization hinders this process significantly, so we will continue to actively work in this direction,” the Minister said.

According to Zalkaliani, he will also discuss developments along the occupation line with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe and the UN Secretary-General.

At the meeting with his Danish counterpart Jeppe Kofod, Zalkaliani discussed friendly relations between the two countries and future prospects of cooperation.

The Ministers underlined the successful relations between the two countries in different fields, including the importance of Denmark's effective assistance in Georgia's institutional transformation. By decision of the Danish Government, Georgia was given priority in the Danish Neighborhood Program 2017-2021, which provides for an allocation of EUR 27 million for the development of various fields in Georgia.

At the meeting, it was noted that Denmark is interested in the success of Georgia's European integration and will continue to support Georgia on this path in the future.

The Georgian side thanked Denmark for its continued support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its strong position on the Georgian issues in various international formats.

At the meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, the active intercultural relations of the two countries were discussed. The Georgian side thanked Greece for starting to work on easing the process of migration and legalization of Georgians living in Greece.

Zalkaliani also met his Austrian colleague Alexander Schallenberg. The Ministers underlined the successful, close relations between Georgia and Austria, including Austria's special support in the form of the Austrian Development Agency, which has been instrumental in the development of various fields since Georgia's independence.

The parties welcomed the holding of this year’s Georgian-Austrian Business Forum, planned for November as a way for Austrian companies to take an interest in the Georgian market.

Within the framework of the UN General Assembly, on the first working day of the visit, Davit Zalkaliani met with his Greek, Danish, Estonian, Austrian, Iranian and Cuban counterparts.