Georgian Foreign Minister Reviews 2004

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili evaluated 2004 as a successful year for Georgia?s foreign policy. She said on December 30 that Georgia further boosted its ties with the western partners; but added that ?normalization of relations with Russia? was not achieved.

?Georgia?s involvement in EU?s Neighborhood Policy, approval of the Georgia?s IPAP by NATO, appointment of special representative and liaison officer of NATO Secretary General [in Caucasus and Central Asia], as well as launch of the EU?s Rule of Law mission to Georgia ? these are vivid confirmation of the success,? Salome Zourabichvili said, while addressing the Georgian diplomatic corp.

She said that Georgia?s partnership with the United States ?has moved to a new level of cooperation.? ?Georgia has activated its contribution to anti-terrorism coalition,? the Georgian Foreign Minister added.

Salome Zourabichvili said that Georgia made efforts in order to normalize relations with Russia, but despite this ?number of issues remain unsolved? regarding the Russo-Georgian relations. 

?These issue remain priorities for 2005. We are looking forward to the visit of the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov in the beginning of the next year. This visit should give a new impetus to the restoration of good neighborhood relations between our two countries,? Salome Zourabichvili said.

She also emphasized on structural reforms carried out within the Foreign Ministry in 2004. Zourabichvili said that anti-corruption measures have been carried out; a new staff is recruited as a result of vacancy announcements and holding testing process.

?Both the price and procedures of obtaining Georgian entry visas have been reduced,? she said.

The Georgian Foreign Minister also said that despite all these achievements, much more is still to be done in the next year.