2018-08-23
Statement by Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia:
Madam Chancellor, thank you enormously for your official visit to Georgia. It is our great honor to host you in Georgia as a friend, partner, supporter and great enthusiast of our country.
We are confident that your official visit will advance the Georgian-German relations to a new level. I am referring to the relations with a history of two centuries that is celebrated within the scope of the German-Georgian Year.
Unwavering support of you and German Government towards the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, our quest towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration is priceless to us. I wish to note that visa-free travel of Georgian citizens within the EU is the most important milestone that we have achieved on our path to European integration and this is the great attainment, which is particularly appreciated and gratified by each of us.
We take pride in being a loyal and reliable partner to Germany. Joint engagement of German and Georgian soldiers in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan is a clear sign and example of our team spirit and mutual support.
Madam Chancellor, you have arrived to our country, which has succeeded in democratic transformation and approximation with European institutions. Our European choice is not a mere political resolution. It is our civilization choice! Country that is hosting you today is not only a European nation, but it is a significant contributor to the common European civilization and to the formation of its values.
We spoke with Chancellor Merkel about the current situation in Georgia and prospects of peaceful resolution of the conflict. Support of Germany - loyal ally of Georgia is particularly important today. Russia is not complying with its commitments assumed under the Ceasefire Agreement concluded on August 12, 2008 and continues to occupy 20% of Georgian territory. Unfortunately, Abkhazian and Tskhinvali regions are actually annexed today, which is deteriorating the local security, humanitarian and human rights conditions.
Madam Chancellor and dear friends, our response to the most painful challenge is not only peace, development and building of the European democracy, which ensures the protection of every interest of individuals or society groups, whereby every citizen will have materialize their opportunities and talent in a dignified manner.
Our peaceful policy is evidenced by the constructive and result oriented engagement in the International Negotiations of Geneva.
Also, effective steps are made by us that are aimed at the reconciliation and restoration of trust among the societies divided by the occupation lines.
Naturally, our efforts will not be effective without support of our partner countries. Germany is playing a special role towards this end and I am convinced that this will be continued so in future!
We also spoke with Madam Chancellor about the significant achievements that we made towards cooperation with the European Union. These are the effective implementation of the Association Agreement, economic integration with EU, visa-free travel, accession to the European Energy Community, intensified cooperation in transport and telecommunications, launch of a strategic dialogue on security issues and fight against common challenges. All of this creates a solid foundation to the further deepening of our future relations. Within this context, we shared the initiative of the Government of Georgia with Madam Chancellor. It is a Roadmap aimed at a greater integration with EU by deploying every existing mechanism of cooperation.
It is particularly important for us that progress made by Georgia towards democratic development and Euro-Atlantic integration will be adequately reflected in the Declaration of NATO Summit in 2018.
Our countries are united by common interests and aspirations to seek greater development of new relations and to advance the existing ones. We have already reached such standards of partnership, which may be advanced to substantially new level of cooperation! We also stand ready to contribute to the elaboration of the new Eastern Policy of Europe announced by Germany!
We welcome operation of every German company in Georgia. Along with the successful projects, we are keen to absorb the full potential of bilateral economic cooperation, seek more German investments in Georgia and develop small and medium enterprises (SME) in parallel with large German corporations. Georgia has a potential to shape into a gateway and regional hub for those countries that have no access to the sea and it is thus a unique opportunity and prospect for German companies to increase trade not only with Georgia, but with our region at large.
It is noteworthy that German businesses are accompanying the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in Georgia today. It is yet another evidence that interest towards economic potential and opportunities offered by our country is increasing. It take particular pride in that during my management of the Georgian Railway, we launched significant relations with the German Railway. Today Deutsche Bahn is an official partner of the Georgian Railway, which implies that Georgian economy has acquired a very strong and reliable partner within the EU.
It is our greatest achievement that we have intensive cooperation in the fields of arts and culture, education and science. We are grateful for the abundant scholarships which are annually offered by Germany to Georgian students and researchers.
I look forward to the International Frankfurt Book Fair in October this year, which will host Georgia as a Guest of Honor. It will be a unique opportunity for the German society to get exposed to the rich and diverse Georgian culture with European roots.
Madam Chancellor, please once again accept my deepest gratitude for your visit to Georgia, for the solid support demonstrated by Germany to the Georgian people and state since the date of its independence.
Statement by Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:
We are delighted to be in Georgia. Previously, I came to your country 10 years ago, when we signed the Ceasefire Agreement. Back then I clearly called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia and of course I support the territorial integrity of Georgia ten years after. We will make our contribution to resolve the conflict. 25 years have passed since establishing our diplomatic relations, when Georgia gained its independence. You are celebrating 100th Anniversary since establishing the First Democratic Republic and we may say that first German settlers came to Georgia 200 years ago. Our nations have a very long lasting relations. This year Georgia will visit the International Frankfurt Book Fair as a Guest of Honor and we look forward to it. We are keen to see Georgia represented at the event. It is very good that cooperation and partnership is developing between the Georgian and German people. Many tourists are visiting your country from Germany. Various companies are accompanying me in this visit. You mentioned relations between the Georgian Railway and Deutsche Bahn. As noted by the Prime Minister in the meeting, a lot of opportunities exist in the education sector and we can do a lot to provide access to dual education in Georgia. We can invest a lot in this. We will be signing 2 agreements during my visit. It is about 193 million Euros that will be allocated for the construction of a natural gas storage facility, along with the water supply and sewage systems. Georgia has very good relations with the EU. We made a great contribution to your Association and Free Trade Agreements. The same may be said about the visa-free travel granted to Georgian citizens. I wish to say that Georgia and Germany have a very good cooperation in the fights against the organized crime and Georgia is a good partner for us. We believe that we can cooperate in various areas. Prime Minister has also noted that support of the small and medium enterprises (SME) is very important. It is also essential to hold frequent meetings between the Ministers of Economy and people who are responsible for the economy to make our relations more intense and to exchange our experience. Georgia may export its agriculture produce to EU and we may contribute greatly to this. We are delighted to be in Georgia - country, which has embarked on the right economic path. Economic growth is indeed witnessed. I am particularly proud to have an opportunity to visit Tbilisi State University tomorrow to speak with the Rector, alumni and faculty. Very rich Georgian and German relations exist in this context, which were developing over dozens of years and we highly value this relations and experience.
Question posed by Ketevan Kardava, Journalist of the Public Broadcasting Company (PBC):
Chancellor of Germany, you started your statement with this topic and I wish to ask about the occupation of Georgian territories. You met with Russian President prior to your visit to Georgia. Interest towards that meeting is huge in Georgia, as there was no press conference afterwards and we have no information about it. Did you discuss occupation of Georgia in any form at your meeting with Putin and also I wonder how the German Chancellor views the role of EU and Germany in the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Georgian conflict. You noted that you will contribute to this process.
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:
I will have an opportunity to go to the contact line under the monitoring and presence of the EUMM. What is happening is unfair. Russian President knows my position, including my attitude towards the issue with Ukraine. We are discussing this matter. It falls within one context. Irrespective of the great tension and huge effort, very little is done to leave this great injustice in the past once and for all. It should not turn into a routine and one should not get used to this situation. We should talk about this on a daily basis and to a great extent.
Question posed by Ketevan Kardava, Journalist of the PBC:
Prime Minister, how do you view the role of Germany in the peaceful resolution of the conflict?
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia:
Twenty per cent of the Georgian territory is occupied. Unfortunately, Russia fails to adhere to its commitments assumed in 2008 to withdraw its troops from Georgia. Naturally, EU and Germany have a very important role in this process. I wish to remind you all that out of the international missions only one is present in Georgia. It is the EUMM, which has its footage in our country. I wish to use this opportunity and thank Madam Chancellor for the support in extending the term of the mission. We noted at multiple occasions that our policy is peace. Our policy is development and building of the European democracy in Georgia. When we talk about foreign aspirations, I said it many times and will repeat now: Georgia has historically always been part of the European space and European culture. Hence, it is our civilization choice. Therefore, role of EU is even more important in the resolution of conflicts on our territory. Our position is that it is not hard to find a mechanism in the conditions of a political will power to enable the peaceful resolution of this process. We crave peace. People to people relations are indeed very good. It means that there is a foundation enabling the peaceful political solution, which will regulate everything in a fair manner. There is an international law, there are document that were signed and they need to be implemented. It required political will and we are thrilled that our friendly nations - USA, EU and Germany - Madam Chancellor - are engaged in a dialogue with Russia on a number of issues as there is no alternative to a dialogue. I am confident that we will by all means achieve our goal through a shared effort. Our greatest pain is that population at those territories is decreasing year after year. I wish to remind you all that 530 000 people lived in Abkhazia prior to the war. Only slightly more than 100 000 people live there nowadays. As for Tskhinvali region, population has been decreased there four or five times and presently totals 20 000 inhabitants, majority of which are representatives of the occupying power. Let us ask a question: Is it within the interests of the people friendly dwelling there for over centuries to get this status quo?! This is a humanitarian tragedy. It is a humanitarian disaster. We are very much oriented towards specific goals to restore trust. You know our program Step towards a Better Future, which is aimed at providing access to healthcare services and education to population living in those territories, thereby enabling them to get engaged in basic entrepreneurial activities. We urge only for peace and justice. I am confident that with the help of our friends time will come to resolve these problems once and for all.
Question posed by Andreas Rinke, Thomson Reuters:
Prime Minister, I wish to ask you about the Trans-Atlantic and European integration. Do you believe that Georgia will accede to NATO or EU?
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia:
It is not only the craving of mine or my parents' generation to make Georgia return to its European family. We are part of the European civilization and we have contributed to the formation of these European values. Hence, of course, we believe that Georgia will by all means become a member of EU and NATO. Our goals are not targeted against anyone. I wish to repeat: we are only oriented towards peace. Of course, we are confident that we will achieve this goal by all means. However, we are not illusioned and we know that a lot remains to be done. We are very consistent and make very foreseeable steps forward. Therefore, we continue to actively introduce the reforms that will get us further approximated to Europe and I am sure when readiness will exist and Georgia will be 100 per cent ready to become part of EU and NATO.
Question posed by Tamar Paatashvili, News Agency iPress:
Madam Chancellor and Prime Minister, I wish to ask about the Georgian path to Europe, European chose made by the Georgian people very long time ago. Prime Minister spoke about it at multiple occasions. How would you assess the Georgian position from your perspective, to what extent has it progressed towards this end and what else needs to be done to get further approximated to EU? What role will be played by the leading European country - Germany - and will it support us in this process?
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:
Of course, Germany supports and will support you further. That is why I am here now.
We may say that Georgia is a very significant partner within the scope of the Easter Partnership. There is also the Association Agreement, Free Trade Agreement; intensification, extension and augmentation of bilateral relations. So far we are working on the extension and augmentation of the existing tools and my visit facilitates for instance the deepening of economic relations. I believe that one step that is important for both is the visa liberalization. It is the aspects and achievement that we have. I wish the bilateral relations between our countries to deepen further.
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia:
With support of our friends we have achieved a considerable progress towards EU integration and visa liberalization is indeed a very good example of this. We will be far more active in implementing more reforms to make our economy more competitive. It is very important on the way to the European integration to prioritize the economic component among others. That is why we assign great importance to economic reforms and those that we will be implementing in the education system. Germany is supporting us in this field and I wish to thank everyone for this. We are working on a very important document. It is a Roadmap to Europe, with benchmarks that we wish to achieve. I noted that we are not illusioned. This path is naturally associated with a great number of challenges and we will overcome them with support of our friends. We will manage in achieving the historic goal. I wish to repeat it particularly for the information of European journalists: our choice to make Georgia accede to EU is not a mere political resolution. It is not targeted against anyone. It is our civilization choice. We are part of this family and this is the only family that we crave to return to develop Georgia as a strong democratic country in this region.
Question posed by Eva Quadbeck-Maak, The Rheinische Post Newspaper:
Your Excellency, Prime Minister, we are talking about the visa liberalization, democratic steps made in Georgia. When visa liberalization was granted to Georgia in 2017 a lot of asylum seekers arrived in Germany from Georgia. Should Georgia be a safe country? I have the same question towards the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. To what extent will you support this?
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany:
Georgia is clearly a safe country. I wish to stress that truly many people were seeking asylum in Germany from Georgia when visa liberalization was granted. Later the trend declined. Prime Minister of Georgia once again stressed the fact that number of such people will decrease further. It is not an issue.
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia:
As I already noted, visa liberalization is one of the most important achievements towards our integration with Europe and this milestone is treasured by us. If we compare statistics from January to summer months, we will see that number of people seeking asylum has been reduced by about 70%. It is a huge progress. Coordinated relationship between the respective agencies of the two countries is very good. Therefore, this trend will further decrease. We carry out a very active information campaign to avoid any abuse of this very important achievement, which belongs to all Georgian people. I need to use this opportunity to thank the relevant institutions of both countries. This statistics has been reduced by 70% great merits to their sterling cooperation. Of course, I wish to thank Madam Chancellor and Government of Germany. Georgia is a safe country and I greatly hope that this spirit will also be shared by our friends in Germany.
Prime Minister's Press Office