British Foreign Secretary visit to Georgia

British Foreign Secretary in Georgia

The British Foreign Secretary’s visit to Georgia began with James Cleverley stating at a general briefing with his Georgian counterpart, Ilya Darchiashvili, that freedom of the media and judiciary in Georgia must be strengthened in order to strengthen democracy.

“Since the historic visit of Margaret Thatcher in 1987, Georgia has made great strides towards the development of democracy. To strengthen democracy and strengthen your institutions against those who seek to undermine them, I urge you to renew and strengthen your commitment to media freedom, a flourishing civil society, and an independent judiciary. We will remain an unshakable and firm friend of Georgia,” Cleverley said.

The UK will also provide financial support to Moldova and Georgia. The aid will be used for economic reforms in Moldova and to strengthen security in the 2024 paralegal elections in Georgia.

The UK is providing an additional £10 million [about $12 million] to support economic and governance reforms in Moldova and £500,000 [about $606,000] to secure elections in Georgia next year.

According to Cleverley, the UK continues to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. He added that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are an integral part of Georgia.

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James Cleverley arrived in Georgia on an official visit yesterday, March 16, having previously visited Moldova. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, as part of his visit he will meet with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and representatives of civil society, travel to the occupation line, and attend an event organized by the Digital Cyber Security Agency.

Prior to the visit, Cleverley said that “the United Kingdom will not stand by while Moscow openly undermines Georgia’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

According to him, Moldova and Georgia are vulnerable as they are affected by “the Kremlin’s hybrid tactics, aggression” and attempts to expand Russian control over the region.