A parliamentary delegation headed by the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samkharadze, serves an official visit to the Republic of Korea, in Seoul.
As part of the visit, meetings were held with representatives of the legislative body of the Republic of Korea.
Georgian MPs met with the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, the Chairperson of the National Defense Committee, as well as members of these committees.
A meeting was also held at the National Assembly of Korea with the Head of the Korea–Georgia Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the group members.
During the meetings at the Parliament of Korea, attention was focused on the further development of bilateral relations between Georgia and the Republic of Korea.
“During the meetings, we discussed the positive dynamics observed in the development of relations between our two countries. In recent years, several important agreements have been signed. Negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreement have been concluded, which will promote free trade between Georgia and the Republic of Korea. An agreement on air transport has been signed, enabling Georgian and Korean airlines to operate direct flights on the Tbilisi–Seoul route. In addition, negotiations are ongoing on the conclusion of an agreement on the protection of investments,” – stated Nikoloz Samkharadze.
The meetings also positively assessed the fact that the number of Korean tourists visiting Georgia has been increasing annually.
One of the important topics of discussion was cooperation between Georgia and Korea within the framework of international organizations.
Particular attention was drawn to the fact that the Republic of Korea firmly supports Georgia’s territorial integrity on all international platforms, including the resolution on the “Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia.” In turn, Georgia is a co-sponsor of resolutions initiated by the Republic of Korea concerning the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
“We also discussed the grave situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, as well as the regrettable incident that took place last year in the Parliament of the Republic of Korea, when representatives of the de facto authorities of Abkhazia held a meeting with one of the members of the Korean Parliament. Our Korean colleagues expressed regret over this incident, reaffirmed their country’s official position in support of Georgia’s territorial integrity, and noted that such an occurrence would not be repeated in the future,” – Nikoloz Samkharadze stated.
The parties reviewed security issues, including developments in the Black Sea region and on the Korean Peninsula, as well as existing global challenges.
During the meetings, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of international law and expressed readiness to intensify cooperation between Georgia and the Republic of Korea in the trade and economic, cultural, and educational fields.
The Georgian side invited a parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Korea to pay a reciprocal visit to Georgia.
The Georgian parliamentary delegation includes: Vice-Speaker of Parliament Ilia Injia, Chair of the Procedural Issues Committee Davit Matikashvili, Chair of the Diaspora Committee Irakli Zarkua, and Deputy Chair of the Georgian Dream faction Nodar Turdzeladze.