Georgia to deepen partnership with Ukraine

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Georgian Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili and country's Ambassador to Ukraine Mikheil Ukleba talked over the Georgian-Ukrainian relations and issues of regional security at a meeting on December 27.

The Georgian ambassador briefed the minister about recent developments in Ukraine.

"Beruchashvili's planned visit to Ukraine, as well as visits of other government officials was also discussed at the meeting,” the ministry's press-service said. However, no exact date was named.

"Developing and deepening relations with Ukraine is very important taking into account the challenges in the region and Europe,” Beruchashvili said, noting that a serious dynamic will be added to bilateral relations next year.

"Partnership of Georgia and Ukraine will dynamically develop in 2015, while a meeting at a ministerial level is scheduled in early next year. The meeting, in turn, will set a ground for Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili's visit to Kiev," Beruchashvili said.

Georgia and Ukraine have suffered similar fates, as both countries faced strong pressure by Russia amid their integration into Europe. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March, 2014, while Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region signed a partnership accord with Russia in November. Georgian authorities said Abkhazia's approximation to Russia was annexation of the separatist region and violated the South Caucasus country's territorial integrity.

Western forces, particularly the European Union and NATO, firmly support Georgia and Ukraine, and all western players have denounced the so-called agreement between Russia and Abkhazia. NATO promised to accept both countries as member-states as soon as they fulfill the alliance's requirements.