Georgian, Polish Foreign Ministers Meet in Warsaw

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani met with his Polish colleague Zbigniew Rau in Warsaw on December 2, discussing bilateral relations, the post-election situation in Georgia, multilateral cooperation, and regional security challenges in the South Caucasus.

The two ministers took note of the close partnership between the two countries and expressed readiness to continue working towards maintaining friendly relations at the high level, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.

According to the report, FM Zalkaliani thanked his Polish colleague for Warsaw’s continued support towards Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscored the “special significance” of Poland’s support for Georgia’s strive towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Polish Foreign Ministry on its part cited Minister Rau as saying that FM Zalkaliani’s presence in Warsaw confirms Tbilisi’s pro-Western course. Polish Foreign Minister expressed Warsaw’s determination to continue supporting Georgia’s reform process and the country’s EU and NATO integration aspirations.

Discussing the post-election situation in Georgia and the opposition’s boycott of the new parliament, Minister Rau reportedly stressed the significance of parliament’s effective functioning both for meeting obligations within the Euro-Atlantic integration process and for solving pandemic-related urgent health and socio-economic problems.

The report cited the Polish Foreign Minister as saying that “it is in the interest of all parties to take all steps to restore full confidence in the election process.”

According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, the top Polish diplomat reiterated his support for Georgia’s independence and territorial integrity and expressed his concerns over the grave humanitarian situation in Georgia’s Moscow-backed regions.

Polish MFA also reported that the two ministers discussed geopolitical shifts in the South Caucasus, namely the recent armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the subsequent deployment of Russian peacekeeping forces in the region.

Georgian Foreign Minister arrived in Warsaw to join the online NATO Foreign Ministerial along with the Polish Foreign Minister. As part of his visit to the Polish capital, FM Zalkaliani also met with Krzysztof Szczerski, chief of cabinet for President Andrzej Duda.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)