PM Gakharia attends opening session of 56th Munich Security Conference
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, February 17
Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia attended an Opening Session of the 56th Munich Security Conference. Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of MSC and Frank Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany addressed the participants of the Opening Session of the MSC.
Political leaders, academia and civil society representatives from all over the world have gathered at the 56th Munich Security Conference on February 14-16, 2020.
“Georgia's growing role in the context of European security architecture and the Black Sea security was well demonstrated at the Munich Security Conference,” Gakharia told reporters while summing up meetings held in the framework of the Munich Security Conference.
According to Gakharia, a large delegation from Georgia is attending the conference, which includes Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Zalkaliani and Minister of Defense Irakli Gharibashvili.
The Prime Minister reiterated at the meeting that it was of the utmost importance for the Georgian side to investigate the facts of ethnic cleansing of Georgians during the 2008 war and catastrophic humanitarian violations against citizens as quickly as possible.
Within the framework of the 56th Munich Security Conference, Gakharia has met with Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. The sides discussed the relations between Georgia and Romania and the main directions of cooperation. At the meeting, the two sides focused on the relations between the two countries in the fields of trade, economy, tourism, transport and communications.
Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration, the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and the ongoing reforms in the country were underlined. The focus was on the roadmap for EU membership, which would give Georgia's European integration even more momentum.
The Prime Minister thanked his Romanian counterpart for support in the implementation of the NATO-Georgia Essential Package (SNGP); It has been said that NATO-Georgia relations have never been as dynamic as in the recent years. The importance of Black Sea security was also emphasized.
The sides discussed the deepening of cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the forthcoming summit to be held in Brussels in June.
The head of government focused on the grave humanitarian situation on the occupied territories of Georgia and the government's peace initiative – 'Step Towards a Better Future.' The Prime Minister thanked his Romanian counterpart for his firm support for the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The meeting was attended by Irakli Chikovani, Prime Minister's Advisor on International Relations.
Munich Security Conference is an annual conference on international security policy that has taken place in Munich, Bavaria since 1963. It is the world's largest gathering of its kind.
Over the past four decades, the Munich Security Conference has become the most important independent forum for the exchange of views by international security policy decision-makers. Each year it brings together about 350 senior figures from more than 70 countries around the world to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges.
The list of attendees includes Heads of States, Governments and International Organizations, Ministers, Members of Parliament, high-ranking representatives of Armed Forces, Science, Civil society as well as Business and Media.
