SOCIAL MEDIA 3 - 9 SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE N: 82 CommissioNer for EuropeaN Neighbourhood Policy aNd ENlargemeNt NegotiatioNs JohaNNes HahN Paid aN Official Visit to Georgia 3-4.09.2018 TBILISI • IN the frames of his official visit CommissioNer JohaNNes HahN held bilateral meetiNgs with PresideNt Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime MiNister Mamuka Bakhtadze, ForeigN MiNister David ZalkaliaNi aNd other goverNmeNt officials. • Discussed: ImplemeNtatioN of the EU-Georgia AssociatioN AgreemeNt, situatioN iN Georgia’s occupied territories, DCFTA aNd possibilities for eNhaNced cooperatioN iN the bilateral, regioNal aNd multilateral ageNdas. • Prime MiNister aNd CommissioNer officially opeNed the first “EasterN PartNership EuropeaN School” iN Tbilisi. As oNe of the “EasterN PartNership's 20 deliverables for 2020”, it will provide studeNts from the EU's EasterN partNer couNtries with aN iNNovative academic programme while fosteriNg multicultural exchaNges aNd cooperatioN. • For 2018-2019 academic year 30 studeNts from ArmeNia, AzerbaijaN, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova aNd UkraiNe were selected aNd fiNaNced by the EuropeaN CommissioN. “It is also No coiNcideNce that we chose to briNg the EuropeaN School to Tbilisi. The GeorgiaN GoverNmeNt embraced the ides quickly aNd this is just oNe more example of Georgia demoNstratiNg its EuropeaN vocatioN aNd commitmeNt to EuropeaN values”- JohaNNes HahN stated. MORE MiNister of ForeigN Affairs of JapaN Taro KoNo Paid His First official visit to Georgia 4.09.2018 TBILISI • IN the frames of his first official visit MiNister of ForeigN Affairs of JapaN Taro KoNo met with PresideNt Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime MiNister Mamuka Bakhtadze, ForeigN MiNister David ZalkaliaNi aNd other goverNmeNt officials. • Discussed: ENhaNciNg bilateral trade/ecoNomic relatioNs, JapaNese GoverNmeNt's Caucasus INitiative aNd cooperatioN projects with Georgia, easiNg visa requiremeNts for GeorgiaN citizeNs to promote people to people coNtacts. • FiNaNce MiNister of Georgia aNd Vice-PresideNt of JapaN INterNatioNal CooperatioN AgeNcy (JICA) sigNed a $343 millioN agreemeNt for coNstructiNg the East-West Highway. “JapaN regards Georgia as aN importaNt partNer, we share fuNdameNtal values such as freedom, democracy, humaN rights aNd the rule of law” - Taro KoNo said. MORE The U.S. DepartmeNt of State has INcluded Syria iN a List of CouNtries that have Lost U.S. FuNdiNg for RecogNitioN of the INdepeNdeNce of the Occupied Territories of Georgia 05.09.2018 WASHINGTON DC The U.S. DepartmeNt of State has iNcluded Syria iN a list of couNtries that recogNise the iNdepeNdeNce of occupied Abkhazia aNd TskhiNvali regioNs, therefore Syria will No loNger be eligible to receive U.S. fuNdiNg. The same saNctioNs were imposed agaiNst Nauru this year aNd agaiNst VeNezuela aNd Nicaragua iN 2017. The reasoN behiNd the baN is a US AppropriatioNs act, which supports Georgia’s territorial iNtegrity. MORE A meetiNg of the NATO-Georgia CommissioN held iN Brussels at the level of PermaNeNt RepreseNtatives 05.09.2018, BRUSSELS • State MiNister for RecoNciliatioN aNd Civic Equality KetevaN Tsikhelashvili aNd Deputy FOLLOW US ON: ForeigN MiNister David DoNdua participated iN the sessioN of NATO-Georgia CommissioN (NGC) held at the level of permaNeNt represeNtatives. The sessioN was /mfageorgia/ chaired by NATO Secretary GeNeral JeNs StolteNberg aNd focused oN the challeNges comiNg from the uNresolved coNflict betweeN Georgia aNd Russia. /MFAgovge /DZalkaliani • Prior to the NATO-Georgia CommissioN, the GeorgiaN delegatioN held a meetiNg with Deputy Secretary GeNeral of /MFAGEO NATO Rose Gottemoeller. • Discussed: SituatioN iN Georgia’s occupied territories, Georgia’s peaceful coNflict resolutioN policy, dyNamics of DEVELOPED BY: GeNeva INterNatioNal DiscussioNs aNd INcideNt preveNtioN aNd RespoNse mechaNisms, GoG’s New peace iNitiative: “A step Strategic CommuNicatioNs DepartmeNt toward a better future”, as well as the NATO Summit decisioNs with respect to Georgia aNd the oNgoiNg process of MFA of Georgia [email protected] Georgia’s iNtegratioN with NATO. MORE .