From 6 to 8 November 2023, the Director of the First Department of Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Uldis Mikuts, visited Georgia as part of the delegation of Ambassadors-at-large for Eastern Partnership from the European Union Member States.
During the visit, officials from EU member States met the highest-ranking Georgian officials – the President Salome Zourabichvili, the Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, the Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and the Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, as well as members of civil society and the diplomatic corps residing in Georgia.
The visit took place shortly before the publication of the European Commission’s progress reports on 8 November. In discussion with the senior Georgian officials, representatives from EU Member States welcomed Georgia’s progress in the process of EU integration, while calling for continued democratic reforms.
Members of the delegation heard the views of the senior Georgian officials on the priority tasks to be accomplished in the country. The Georgian officials informed the visitors about reforms carried out in the country and the implementation of recommendations from the European Commission, in particular, as regards the alignment with positions set out in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The talks focused heavily on the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions occupied by the Russian Federation. In South Ossetia, the situation escalated on November 6 after an incident in the vicinity of the village of Kirbali, where a Georgian national was killed by the Russian border guards. The representatives of EU Member States offered their condolences to the Georgian officials and reaffirmed their strong support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders.
During their stay, the delegation also called on the regional office in Gori of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia and visited the administrative boundary line with South Ossetia.