Austrian Foreign Minister Visits Georgia

OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz visited Georgia on February 2-3 and met President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze.

At his meeting with Georgia’s Foreign Minister Janelidze on February 3, the sides talked on strengthening the OSCE involvement “in the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Georgian conflict focusing on the security, humanitarian and human rights situation in Georgia’s occupied territories,” as well as the involvement of the Austrian Chairmanship “in the process of confidence building between war-torn communities,” according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry.

The sides also touched upon “the importance of Georgia’s close cooperation with OSCE institutions in the democratization process” and the prospects for “deepening” Georgian-Austrian bilateral relations.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the Austrian Federal Minister “reaffirmed Austria’s strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for its European and Euro-Atlantic integration, making special mention of the progress Georgia has made on this path.”

The OSCE involvement in the Georgian-Russian conflict and the human rights and security situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as the bilateral relations between Austria and Georgia, were also discussed at the Austrian Foreign Minister’s meetings with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

During the visit, the Austrian Foreign Minister also attended the Incident Prevention and response Mechanism meeting in Ergneti, where he addressed the participants.