Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Mr. Giorgi Gakharia hosted Mr. Christophe Castaner, the Minister of the Interior of the French Republic. An official visit of the French Interior Minister to Georgia aims at enhancing the law enforcement cooperation between Georgia and France.
Since the meeting of Mr. Giorgi Gakharia with his colleague Mr. Gerard Collomb in Paris last year, the Police cooperation between the two countries has become stronger.
It is noteworthy that for the first time the French Interior Minister paid a high-level official visit to Georgia.
Within the framework of the official visit, the Ministers signed an administrative agreement that aims at further strengthening existing cooperation in the fight against crime between France and Georgia.
At the meeting, the parties have discussed the successful police cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Georgia and France. This fruitful partnership is maintained through active involvement of the Police Attaches of both countries, implementation of joint operations, prompt exchange of crime-related information and official visits. Moreover, the Ministers have discussed the ongoing situation regarding visa-free travel for citizens of Georgia in the EU. The parties emphasized the political and practical importance of visa-free travel in the process of Georgia’s European integration.
At the meeting, Mr. Giorgi Gakharia introduced the reforms planned and implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Ministers agreed that the phone conversation will be held once a month to discuss current issues.
The cooperation with Frontex and Europol and the expansion of the Georgian Police Attache network were positively evaluated by Christophe Castaner.
At the end of the meeting, the parties laid out plans for future police cooperation between the two countries.
