Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and several members of his cabinet are in Tajikistan on what marks their first official visit to the Central Asian country.
The visit follows a similar first-time trip to Kyrgyzstan, another Central Asian nation, a week earlier, amid Tbilisi’s strained relations with its traditional Western partners.
The high-level delegation, led by Kobakhidze, includes five Georgian Dream ministers – Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, Agriculture Minister Davit Songhulashvili, Education Minister Givi Mikanadze, and Culture Minister Tinatin Rukhadze – as well as Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani.
They arrived at Dushanbe airport on June 19, where Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda received his counterpart and the delegation in an official welcoming ceremony.
Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as the Georgian Dream ministers, held several meetings in Dushanbe, including with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda.
Meetings with PM Kokhir Rasulzoda
A one-on-one meeting between Kobakhidze and Rasulzoda and an expanded-format meeting attended by members of both governments were held at the start of the visit on June 19.
According to the Georgian government administration, the two prime ministers “expressed confidence that the first-ever official visit at the highest level would elevate bilateral relations to a new stage and provide fresh momentum for expanding cooperation across a wide range of sectors.” The press release refers to them during the expanded-format meeting as praising ties between the two nations and reaffirming their willingness to strengthen partnership and cooperation.
According to the release, following the meeting, the two sides signed “a number of bilateral agreements covering cooperation in various fields,” with both prime ministers attending the signing ceremony. No details about the agreements have yet been reported.
Meetings with President Emomali Rahmon
Another one-on-one meeting, this time between Kobakhidze and President Rahmon, followed by an expanded-format meeting attended by members of governments, was held on June 19.
“During the expanded meeting, the parties discusses the prospects for further strengthening bilateral relations, as well as matters of regional and international importance,” the Georgian government administration said, adding that the talks focused on “deepening trade and economic cooperation and expanding partnership in the fields of transport and logistics.”
Following the meeting, Kobakhidze and Rahmon adopted a Joint Communiqué “reaffirming their commitment to the further development and strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.”
Other Meetings
On June 19, Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili also met with her Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the two ministers placed special emphasis on the “importance of developing the Middle Corridor” and “enhancing efforts to strengthen regional cooperation.”
More to follow…
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