On 5 November, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia visited the Netherlands, where he met with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
"This is the first high-level visit of the Georgian Prime Minister to the Netherlands and the first visit by me as a head of government to an EU member state. We discussed the occupation of Georgian territories. We also talked about our country's progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration. We consider the Netherlands an important partner in this direction. We are also grateful for the Netherlands' involvement and support in the implementation of the NATO-Georgia substantial package. We also discussed issues of economic cooperation. We are pleased that the number of [Dutch] tourists [to Georgia] has significantly increased,” Gakhaia said.
Rutte noted that Georgia is “more than just a trade partner” for the Netherlands, and that the two countries “share common values, including in commitment to democracy and rule of law”. He stated that “as a result of several-year efforts, Georgia became an exemplary country for other countries in the region and that is why it is a key partner of the Netherlands and the European Union”. He also said that the Netherlands are in the second place in terms of external investments made to Georgia. He also stated that the Netherlands has been sending agricultural missions to Georgia over the past five years and that the Dutch government was ready to share their experience in other fields as well. He also added that Georgia and the Netherlands “share common interests and challenges” in the area of security too. “After all, the security, stability and prosperity of our regions are highly inter-dependent,” he said, noting that the Netherlands “values the collaborative and successful relationship” with Georgia.
Georgia and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1992. The foreign trade turnover between the countries for 2019 amounted to $251.7 million. In order to facilitate trade and economic relations between the two countries, the Georgian-Netherlands Business Council was founded in 2012. The Netherlands are also supporting Georgia’s civil society through MATRA program and Accountability Fund as well as Human Rights through the Human Rights programmes.
Gakharia’s visit to Netherlands was his first visit conducted to an EU member state since being appointed as Georgia’s new prime minister. Previously, Gakharia visited Azerbaijan (Caucasus Watch reported), Armenia and Turkey (Caucasus Watch reported).
