13
Apr
30th Anniversary: Georgia & Germany
Georgia and Germany have a long political and diplomatic relationship, typically emerging with their friendship. The announcement of independence, which resulted in establishing the first Republic of Georgia on 26 May 2018, was an outcome of exclusively German political efforts. Similarly, Germany was one of the first countries that welcomed the reborn Republic of Georgia after the Soviet Union collapsed at the start of the 1990s.
Likewise, the second president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, who served as the Foreign Minister of the USSR back then, played a paramount role in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German unification, widely appreciated among the German people.
As time passed, the 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Georgia and Germany approached. On 13 April 2022, Levan Mikeladze Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Georgia organised a joint event dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the restoration of the Georgia-Germany diplomatic relations and the visit of then German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher to Tbilisi.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Teimuraz Janjalia, and Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Georgia, Hubert Knirsch, welcomed the attendees.
“During those difficult years, our country was making the first independent steps in the international arena to become part of the European family. Support of Germany and the personal involvement of the German Foreign Minister were pivotal, especially considering the role Germany played at different stages of the history of Georgia over the past 200 years when supporting our country's political, socioeconomic, and cultural development. We are grateful that Germany is a strong supporter of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as of our foreign policy priorities,” Teimuraz Janjalia stated.
“Georgia’s independence, the Unification of Germany and the mutual recognition were interconnected as part of one great historical process. During those years, the era of empires, conquests and spheres of influence was over, and the new European security and cooperation was established,” said Hubert Knirsch. Later the German Ambassador who was facing rotation at the end of summer uploaded a farewell video post on his social media where he pointed out that relations between the two states were “special”, with a “long-time” tradition and he said that "one thing is for sure: Germany and Georgia will continue to be good, close partners."
The theme of the panel discussion, held as a part of the event, was about 30 years after the visit of Hans-Dietrich Genscher: Germany, Georgia, and Europe as a whole. The panellists were Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Irakli Menagarishvili and a former Chief of Staff to Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Ambassador Thomas Matussek. The Director of the Information Centre on NATO and EU in Georgia, Tamar Tsuleiskiri, moderated the panel discussion.
An exhibition presented during the reception showcased the visit of Hans-Dietrich Genscher to Georgia on 12 and 13 April 1992.
