Interview with the Georgian Ambassador to Germany

Ideal relationships between nations is usually aimed at fostering trade, growth and development, with each party contributing significantly to the progress of the other. In this interview, Elguja Khokrishvili, Ambassador of Georgia to the Federal Republic of Germany, describes the relationship between Germany and Georgia as an ideal relationship that is premised upon the historical cooperation between both nations to confidently manage today’s challenges.

Your appointment as ambassador of Georgia to Germany may be regarded as one that happened at a very special period during last year’s 200th anniversary of Georgia-Germany relations, and the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both countries. This year, Georgia will be a guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair. From your perspective, what does it mean to be Georgia’s Ambassador to Germany at such a special time as this, and what do you think is the foundation of the Georgia-Germany friendship that has lasted for two centuries?

I agree with you. The Georgian-German Year with the Slogan “Heritage of the Future” started in 2017 and it will end with the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, where Georgia will be a guest of honor. Last year, on one hand, we celebrated 200 years since the establishment of German settlements in Georgia, and 25 years since we began diplomatic relations between Georgia and Germany. On the other hand, this year, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary since the founding of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia. The arrival of German colonists and their integration into Georgian society, 200 years ago undoubtedly played a role in establishing a special relationship between Georgia and Germany. Several positive examples of cooperation between the two countries over the years in various fields have further strengthened this friendship. The history of my family is partially associated with German settlements. My paternal Grandmother and her family were Germans, whose ancestors arrived and settled in Tbilisi 200 years ago, and became fully integrated into society until they were repressed and exiled by the Communist regime. In all, it is a great honor for me as ambassador to represent the history, culture and interests of the Georgian government and society in this special year in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Recently, many people have been drawing parallels between Berlin and Tbilisi, what kind of similarities do you think these two cities share?

You probably are referring to an article published recently by Forbes magazine titled “Berlin is out, Tbilisi is in”, where Tbilisi was described as the most fascinating city. The author of the article describes the city’s elegant hotels, the pro-Western mentality of the country, the court’s decision on marijuana legalization and its fascination for tourism.

Well, if your focus is in comparing these two cities and to search for similarities, perhaps the common one may be that both cities gain popularity with time. I think both cities are highly dynamic and eclectic, both known by clubs and DJs. In short, neither the visitor nor the host will be found bored in these cities.

You have been living in Germany for a long time, what do you like the most about this country? And what would is there in Germany now, that you would like developed in Georgia too?

A few days ago, on October 3, Germany celebrated the 28th anniversary of the reunification of the country. The German people, despite their great historical difficulties managed to consolidate and destroy the artificially dividing wall of their country. Today, Germany is one of the leading countries in Europe with a top quality of democracy, as well as economic development. I would like our country to restore her territorial integrity within a short time, and for Georgia to become a full member of the European and Euro-Atlantic family.

Your appointment as the ambassador of Georgia to Germany is almost a year long, how would you assess your activities in the capacity as ambassador and what achievements are you pursuing currently?

I would like to clarify that I arrived in Germany six months ago in the capacity of the ambassador, but in spite of this, I think the validity of my work here would probably be best estimated by others. During this period however, I would highlight the successful visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, David Zalkaliani in July and the significant visit of the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel to Germany at the end of August.

What other plans do you have for subsequent years?

We have close cooperation with Germany in every direction. Germany has a special role in the reforms Georgia is implementing on the way to getting integrated into NATO and the EU. We want to transform this comprehensive cooperation by pursuing consistent dialogue. How would you assess Angela Merkel’s visit to Georgia? Angela Merkel’s visit hold historic importance for Georgia, her last visit to the country was 10 years ago during the August war. As it stands, the Chancellor’s visit was the expression of Germany’s support in the face of the several challenges facing our country. At the meetings and official statements, the Federal Chancellor clearly expressed support for the integrity, sovereignty and progress of Georgia on our way to European and Euro-Atlantic integration. During her visit, the Chancellor focused on the importance of economic development of Georgia and the willingness of Germany to support her on this path.

German experts often say that Georgia should work more with Germany on European and Euro-Atlantic integration issues, what is your view concerning this and what type of work is going on in this direction?

We appreciate Germany’s practical assistance to Georgian institutions, in convergence with EU standards. Germany is the leading partner in several EU Twinning projects, with six projects having been already implemented, with one more in the implementation phase.

Since 1992, the German Federal Government has allocated more than €820 million in financial and technical assistance through the International Cooperation Society (GIZ) and Reconstruction Credit Bank (KfW) for Georgia. In April of this year, Georgia signed a financial cooperation agreement between Germany and Georgia, with the support of KfW, between 2018- 2020, Georgia will receive €253 million (€22.7 million in grants and €230 million in loans). Within the official visit of the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Reconstruction Credit Bank (KfW) has signed two new contracts for financing. In particular, KfW has allocated €150 million grants for the construction of the first underground gas storage plant in Georgia. The event is being monitored under the framework of the Association Agreement with the European Union, which requires the Government of Georgia to create its own gas storage in the country. In the future, Germany is going to change the profile of cooperation and focus on some other important areas. For this purpose, the German government plans to complete renewed initiatives for her cooperation with South Caucasus countries as from 2018.

As for the promoting of NATO integration, Germany actively supports Georgia’s implementation of the “NATO-Georgia Essential Package” (SNGP). In particular, German financial assistance is catered for by the “Center for Defense Institution Building” (DIB School) and NATO-Georgia Training and Assessment Center in Krtsanisi.

So, I think the German contribution to our country’s approximation to European and Euro-Atlantic standards is quite large. We continue to work closely with the government and private sector representatives at federal and other sectors of government in Germany, to gain political support for our country’s foreign policy priorities, and to increase the awareness of the country and her image within the German public.