Ilia Darchiashvili has met with his Portuguese colleague
On 20 July 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Joao Gomes Cravinho.
The ministers talked about the main areas of cooperation between Georgia and Portugal. Ilia Darchiashvili thanked João Gomes Cravinio for his support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and emphasized the critical importance of Portugal's position in Lusophone countries, in terms of implementing the non-recognition policy.
Ilia Darchiashvili discussed with his Portuguese colleague the process of Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and talked about the progress achieved by the country in fulfilling the 12 priorities of the European Commission. At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed the hope that Portugal will support the granting of candidate status to Georgia.
Discussions focused on the NATO Vilnius Summit and its final document expressing the support for Georgia both in political and practical dimensions.
The ministers discussed in detail the security challenges facing the region, the war waged by Russia in Ukraine. Discussions focused on the difficult humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia and the importance of partners’ involvement in the processes.
The sides emphasized the need to activate political consultations between Georgia and Portugal and reviewed various aspects of cooperation in economy, culture and education. It was noted that trade and business ties between Georgia and Portugal have increased over the recent years.
It was emphasized that the Camões Center is successfully operating under Tbilisi State University, which has greatly increased Georgian students’ interest in Portuguese language and culture. Special note was taken of the successful restoration of the fresco of Queen Ketevan in Graça Convent in Lisbon.
The sides once again confirmed their readiness to continue and further intensify the fruitful cooperation between the two countries.
