The Prime Minister of Georgia met with the Federal Chancellor of Austria.

Irakli Garibashvili congratulated Alexander Schallenberg on his appointment and expressed confidence that the productive cooperation between Georgia and Austria, in both bilateral and multilateral formats, will deepen even further. The parties pointed out that 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Georgia and Austria. Garibashvili invited Alxander Schallenberg to Georgia and expressed eagerness to host him, this time in the rank of Federal Chancellor, in Tbilisi.

The meeting highlighted Austria’s strong, continuous support for Georgia’s European integration. According to the Prime Minister, Georgia remains committed to European integration and continues the effective implementation of the Association Agreement and the DCFTA. The parties focused on expectation of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit and underlined the importance of applying the differentiated principle of more for more in this format. The meeting also underscored the need to secure the Associated Trio’s greater engagement and offering these states additional EU integration mechanisms.

The meeting singled out the dire humanitarian situation in Georgia’s occupied territories. The Prime Minister thanked the Chancellor for firmly supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and Austria"s considerable contribution to the EU Monitoring Mission.

The conversation also touched on the successful and effective partnership between Georgia and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), also the importance of deeper trade and economic ties. In this context, the parties commended the recent meeting of the Intergovernmental Economic Commission and the Round Table in Vienna, with participation from representatives of the business communities of both countries.

The meeting between the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Federal Chancellor of Austria was held under the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.