Diplomatic relations between Georgia and the Italian Republic were established on 11 May 1992. The Embassy of Georgia in Italy opened in 1994. The Embassy of the Italian Republic in Georgia opened in 2000.
Sharing a long history of close and friendly relations, Georgia and Italy are actively collaborating in political, trade and economic, defense, cultural and educational areas.
The exchange of high-level visits is dynamic, both for executive and legislative authorities. In 2023, the Chairman of Parliament and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia paid official visits to Italy. The President of Georgia visited Italy in 2022, the President of Italy accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and a business delegation paid a visit to Georgia in 2018.
The Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia hold regular meetings with their Italian counterparts, both at a bilateral level and within various international platforms.
The cooperation between the two countries is successful within the international organizations as well. Italy staunchly supports Georgia's territorial integrity and the non-recognition policy of its occupied territories, including by actively participating in the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia.
The parliaments of both countries enjoy friendly relations and the exchange of visits between parliamentary delegations is dynamic. A group of friendship with the Italian Parliament is functioning within the Parliament of Georgia, and reciprocally, there is a group of friendship with the Parliament of Georgia in the Italian Parliament.
The legal framework between Georgia and Italy spans diverse areas of cooperation, including economics, transport, fiscal policies, defense, security, climate change mitigation, education, and culture.
On 21 April 2023, in the margins of the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia to Italy, the Foreign ministers of both countries signed a joint declaration on the establishment of a High-Level Dialogue between Georgia and Italy.
The objective of this Dialogue is to elevate the current state of relations to a qualitatively higher level and broaden the scope of cooperation. The format of the dialogue encompasses four distinct thematic dimensions, covering political, defence and security, trade-economic, as well as cultural, educational, and scientific domains.
Defense in a successful field of cooperation. The Ministries of Defense of Georgia and Italy have been collaborating since 2014 by establishing annual plans for bilateral cooperation, that involve expert meetings and the exchange of experience in diverse areas, such as strategic communications, demining, military police, civil-military cooperation, and military education.
Additionally, regular Georgian-Italian economic and business forums take place focusing on such promising and priority sectors as construction, infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism.
Cooperation in the field of culture, education and science is also active and fruitful. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides scholarships that enable young individuals from Georgia to pursue their studies in Italian Universities. There are frequent exchange programs between education institutions of the two countries. The Dante Alighieri Society of Tbilisi was founded by Italy with the aim of promoting the Italian language and culture in Georgia. Additionally, the Italia school “Tiskari” provides primary and secondary education, offering young individuals the opportunity to learn Italian as their first foreign language.
Over the recent years, various cultural programmes have been implemented, spanning cultural heritage protection and archaeology. Numerous events, such as concerts, exhibitions, and film screenings, have taken place in both Italian cities and Tbilisi. Conferences on diverse topics are also organized on a regular basis. Georgia frequently participates in the international art exhibition, "Venice Biennale."
In April 2010, a bust of Shota Rustaveli was installed in the Villa Borghese Park in Rome, alongside the statues of world-renowned personalities like Goethe, Dante, Dumas and Shakespeare.
It was once again confirmed that the Italian Republic supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Ilia Darchiashvili provided his colleague with information on the European Commission’s recommendations and the progress achieved by Georgia on the road to European integration, in general.
On 5 April 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili held a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Edmondo Cirelli, who arrived in Georgia within the framework of political consultations between the two countries.
On 20 April 2023, within the framework of a working visit to the Republic of Italy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili met with heads and members of Georgian diaspora organizations.
On 20 April 2023, within the framework of his working visit to the Republic of Italy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, attended the "Touch of Heaven" exhibition dedicated to the Georgian alphabet. The exhibition was held in the historical building of the Florence Palace, where the works of calligrapher and artist, Giorgi Sisauri were displayed.
Within the framework of his official visit to the Italian Republic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili, held a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani. Following the meeting, the signing ceremony of the declaration on the establishment of high-level dialogue between Georgia and Italy was also held.
On April 21, 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Antonio Tajani, signed a joint declaration on the establishment of a high-level dialogue between Georgia and the Republic of Italy.
From 23 to 27 April 2023, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Khatuna Totladze paid a working visit to the Italian Republic’s region of Sicily.
On 2 June 2023, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teimuraz Janjalia attended the event dedicated to the Italian National Day. The deputy minister congratulated the Italian people on their national day and spoke about the traditionally friendly relations between Georgia and Italy.
As part of his working visit to the Republic of Italy, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Teimuraz Janjalia, participated in the international conference "Security and Defense Days - 2023" organized by De Gasperi Foundation and Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.
