Prime Minister Nicolae –Ionel Ciucă’s meeting with the President of Georgia, Mrs Salome Zourabichvili

PRESS RELEASE

Today, Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă received, at Victoria Palace, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, who is paying a visit to our country. The meeting with the President of Georgia took place after the signing of the Strategic Partnership with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, a major point of openness and cooperation consolidation between the two states.

The two officials reviewed the good relations existing between the two states, the security situation in the Black Sea region and the bilateral cooperation projects.

Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă congratulated the President of Georgia on obtaining the European perspective and offered support for meeting the conditionalities necessary to obtain the official status as a candidate country, efforts in which Romania will stand by Georgia and support its steps.

Moreover, the two officials discussed the major infrastructure projects aimed at connecting Georgian ports to Constanta and Central Asia, via the Caspian Sea, via the South Caucasus and the Black Sea, to Romania and the European Union - electricity cable, data cable, naval transport lines and connectivity projects between the two states.

The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili thanked Romania for all the support it granted, including about the EU membership application and the constant support for NATO accession. Mrs Zurabichvili emphasized the massive support of the population - over 80 percent - for Georgia's European path and the difficult challenges facing Georgia today: two territories occupied by the Russian Federation, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a constant flow of Ukrainian refugees and an influx of Russian citizens.

The President of Georgia mentioned the responsibility imposed by the new status on the prospect of EU membership, as well as the mobilization of society to fulfil the conditionalities set out in the European Council Resolution.

Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă assured President Salome Zourabichvili of Romania's support along the path of reforms necessary for Georgian citizens.