Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili is taking part in the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), a major international forum devoted this year to issues such as U.S.-European security ties, Greenland’s fate, and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s press release, Botchorishvili will be meeting with her counterparts and participating in a panel discussion. Her trip to Munich comes after last year’s absence, as none of the Georgian Dream government officials had been invited to the 61st MSC.
This year, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze confirmed that Tbilisi had received an invitation, though he said he would not personally attend the event.
For Georgia, the party founded by Giorgi Gakharia, a former Georgian Dream prime minister and now an opposition politician in exile, also announced that the ex-PM would be attending the conference.
Panel Discussion on ‘Eurasia’s Strategic Order’
According to the Georgian MFA, Botchorishvili took part in the panel discussion “Defining Eurasia’s Strategic Order: The Middle Corridor as a European Security Agenda for Stability, Peace, Security and Connectivity,” alongside Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
“The Minister focused on Georgia’s role in the development of the Middle Corridor and underscored the importance of strengthening connectivity. She highlighted a strategic vision that conceives the Middle Corridor not merely as a transportation route, but as a secure, rapid and efficient economic bridge,” the Foreign Ministry said.
According to the MFA, “particular emphasis was placed on Georgia’s strategic geographic location and its open economic policy, which position the country as a central hub linking Europe and Asia.”
Discussion on EU Enlargement
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Botchorishvili also took part in a roundtable discussion on the EU enlargement, which “brought together European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, as well as the Foreign Ministers of European Union member states and candidate countries.”
“The discussion focused on the ongoing enlargement process of the European Union, the challenges currently facing it and future steps,” the MFA reported.
Meetings with OSCE Secretary General and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
During the MSC, Botchorishvili met with Ignazio Cassis, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation.
According to the Georgian MFA, “particular attention during the meeting was devoted to the security environment in the region,” including highlighting the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories, “as well as Switzerland’s role as a mediator in Georgia-Russia relations.”
The Foreign Ministry reported that Botchorishvili and Cassis also discussed the agenda of the current OSCE Chairpersonship, “with a focus on strengthening dialogue, peace and stability.” It also said that “the parties discussed ongoing developments in Georgia, as well as the country’s foreign and domestic policy priorities,” and that Botchorishvili invited Cassis to Georgia.
On February 14, Botchorishvili also met with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu on the MSC sidelines.
According to the MFA press release, “particular attention was devoted to the situation in Georgia’s occupied regions,” with Botchorishvili underscoring the importance of the Geneva International Discussions format and highlighting the OSCE’s engagement in the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“The parties also reviewed the situation in the region, including prevailing security challenges and possible avenues for addressing them,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.
Other Meetings
During the conference, Botchorishvili held meetings with foreign ministers of various countries.
On February 14, Georgian MFA reported that the GD foreign minister met with Argentinian Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, with the parties discussing “current issues pertaining to bilateral and multilateral cooperation” and underscoring “the need to further intensify trade and economic partnership.”
A similar meeting was held on February 13 with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, according to the MFA. “During the meeting, the parties reviewed issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The discussion focused on the deepening of relations between the countries and on the importance of conducting high-level visits,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.
More to follow…
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