India and Georgia on Saturday agreed to work jointly to elevate their “very excellent relationship” to a new level as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and discussed with him bilateral economic cooperation, trade and connectivity.
Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Georgia, a strategically important country situated at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. He also invited his Georgian counterpart to India with a business delegation.
“We discussed economic cooperation, tourism, trade and connectivity. Our relationship is doing well. There are some big Indian projects in Georgia, power projects and steel projects,” he said.
“A lot of Indian tourists come, about 50,000 of them. We have some 8,000 Indian students in Georgia. But in every sector, we felt we can do more. We agreed today that we will work together to find ways of raising it,” Jaishankar said.
The minister said that both sides acknowledged the progress made between the two sides, along with the “potential to do more”. “And that potential will only be realized when our two governments make a very focused effort to do so,” he added.
Further talking about the bilateral talks, the minister said the two sides held discussions on the connectivity issue. “We also had a discussion on connectivity because you all know connectivity is very much key to competitiveness, it is key to reliability and resilience in a globalized world and whether it is land maritime and air connectivity.”
Jaishankar even thanked Georgian PM for looking after the needs of the Indian student community during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I particularly want to thank you prime minister for all the care you have taken of the Indian student community. We know that you went the extra mile to look after our students, in many cases help them return home and then come back to Georgia for studies,” he added. Referring to various projects undertaken by Indians in Georgia, the minister welcomed prospects of working on the investment and trade side.
He also thanked the Georgian government for the installation of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which will take place later on Saturday. “I am very thankful to the Georgian government and the city of Tbilisi for the installation of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. I am confident that my visit has helped chart a more ambitious roadmap for India- Georgia relationship,” the minister said.
