Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, who is on an official visit to Lithuania on January 21, met with his Lithuanian counterpart Saulius Skvernelis and President Dalia Grybauskaitė, discussing the two countries’ cooperation.
Calling Lithuania Georgia’s “closest ally and friend,” PM Bakhtadze said in a joint press statement with his Lithuanian counterpart, that the two countries’ cooperation and political dialogue “is becoming stronger and deeper,” and that their trade turnover is increasing year-on-year.
Bakhtadze said the two PMs discussed the implementation of joint regional projects in the fields of energy and transport to increase their countries’ transit potential as well as to explore new markets. Bakhtadze said he hoped Lithuania would share its expertise with Georgia on business start-up development as well.
The Georgian PM said they also addressed “grave outcomes of the steps Russia is taking towards occupation and annexation” of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, and deterioration of security and humanitarian situation there.
Many thanks to ?? PM Saulius Skvernelis for his warm welcome and hospitality. Georgia is grateful to our ?? friends & for all the support that we get on our path to European & Euro-Atlantic integration. We are truly blessed to have such dedicated friends and partners! pic.twitter.com/FiBJVoSQyd
— Mamuka Bakhtadze (@BakhtadzeMamuka) January 21, 2019
On his part, the Lithuanian Prime Minister encouraged Georgia to continue its reforms, which give it the lead among the EU’s Eastern partners.
“We will continue supporting Sakartvelo’s independence and territorial integrity, its firm determination to follow, inter alia, the example of Lithuania and to seek full integration into the European Union and NATO, to create an open, democratic and rule-of-law-based prosperous state,” he said.
In Vilnius, Baktadze met with the Lithuanian President as well. At the meeting the two leaders focused on their countries’ bilateral relations, Georgia’s cooperation with EU as well as security situation in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea region, according to Grybauskaitė’s press office.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)