ILIA DARCHIASHVILI HAS OFFICIALLY OPENED THE CONFERENCE OF HONORARY CONSULS
On 11 September 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, officially opened the Conference of Honorary Consuls in Batumi and addressed the audience.
The Minister emphasized the important role of the Institute of Honorary Consuls in developing trade, economic and cultural cooperation of Georgia with partner countries, as well as attracting investments and encouraging tourism. He drew special attention to the honorary consuls’ contribution to building up the country’s image at the international level.
"I would like to emphasize the importance of the Institute of Honorary Consuls for Georgia and their efforts to uphold the interests of my country in different parts of the world. It is very important for Georgia to secure strong international support for Georgia’s economic and political agenda. You make an important contribution to the development of Georgia by raising awareness about it, as well as by deepening Georgia’s economic and cultural cooperation with different countries and protecting the rights of our citizens," Ilia Darchiashvili said.
In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also drew special attention to the historic decision to recognize the European perspective for Georgia, which formally paved the way for the country to become a member of the European Union.
Ilia Darchiashvili noted the importance of Georgia's strategic location and emphasized the important role of Georgia as a regional hub in the implementation of large transport-transit and energy projects in the region.
Tornike Rizhvadze, Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, and Jens Gunter, Honorary Consul of Georgia in Dresden, also addressed the audience.
It should be noted that the first conference of honorary consuls was held in 2022. Currently, Georgia has 90 honorary consuls in 65 countries. This year, the network of honorary consuls of Georgia has expanded even more, in particular, honorary consuls have been appointed in Poland, USA and Croatia. The Honorary Consul Institute plays an important role in developing trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation of Georgia with partner countries, as well as in attracting investments and encouraging tourism. Their involvement in promoting Georgia as a stable and attractive destination is also significant.
