Georgia–Italy relations
Encyclopedia
Georgia–Italy relations are foreign relations between Georgia
and Italy
. Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 11, 1992. Georgia has an embassy in Rome
. Italy has an embassy in Tbilisi
. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe
.
During the 2008 South Ossetia war
, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Franco Frattini said "We cannot create an anti-Russia coalition in Europe, and on this point we are close to Putin's position" he also stressed that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia. On 8 August, the Italian Government issued a statement reporting that "In close coordination with its European Union and Atlantic partners, the Italian Government is following the crisis situation that has developed in South Ossetia with grave concern" and that "Italy calls on all parties to bring an immediate end to the violence and reach a lasting cessation of hostilities. It strongly encourages a resumption of negotiations for a political solution to the problem with due respect for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity". Later, on 10 August, after contacts with the US Secretary of State, the French Foreign Minister and the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
reiterated this invitation. In a 11 August interview with the La Stampa
newspaper, the Italian Foreign Ministry reported about the direct involvement of Silvio Berlusconi
, Prime Minister of Italy
: "Sarkozy phoned Putin in his capacity as current President of the European Union, and 10 minutes later he phoned Berlusconi. ‘Silvio, you speak to Vladimir too’, he said, ‘explain that we’re not anti-Russian and we all want Moscow to be close to the EU’. In his conversation with Berlusconi, Putin reiterated his position: that Russia had every right to intervene in Georgia”, and made a reference about an eventual deployment of Italian troops: "If, after his meetings in Tbilisi and Moscow, Kouchner submits a proposal to the European Council of Foreign Ministers on Wednesday, and it’s approved, we’ll take it into consideration. There are a lot of ‘ifs’, and we’d need in any case to redistribute our forces, which are finite, by redeploying them from other international missions. Humanitarian aid for South Ossetia, on the other hand, is ready as of now".
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 11, 1992. Georgia has an embassy in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Italy has an embassy in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
.
During the 2008 South Ossetia war
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
As in most countries, in Italy the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of the most important ministerial positions...
Franco Frattini said "We cannot create an anti-Russia coalition in Europe, and on this point we are close to Putin's position" he also stressed that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia. On 8 August, the Italian Government issued a statement reporting that "In close coordination with its European Union and Atlantic partners, the Italian Government is following the crisis situation that has developed in South Ossetia with grave concern" and that "Italy calls on all parties to bring an immediate end to the violence and reach a lasting cessation of hostilities. It strongly encourages a resumption of negotiations for a political solution to the problem with due respect for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity". Later, on 10 August, after contacts with the US Secretary of State, the French Foreign Minister and the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
As in most countries, in Italy the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of the most important ministerial positions...
reiterated this invitation. In a 11 August interview with the La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is one of the best-known, most influential and most widely sold Italian daily newspapers. Published in Turin, it is distributed in Italy and other European nations. The current owner is the Fiat Group.-History:...
newspaper, the Italian Foreign Ministry reported about the direct involvement of Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, Prime Minister of Italy
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
: "Sarkozy phoned Putin in his capacity as current President of the European Union, and 10 minutes later he phoned Berlusconi. ‘Silvio, you speak to Vladimir too’, he said, ‘explain that we’re not anti-Russian and we all want Moscow to be close to the EU’. In his conversation with Berlusconi, Putin reiterated his position: that Russia had every right to intervene in Georgia”, and made a reference about an eventual deployment of Italian troops: "If, after his meetings in Tbilisi and Moscow, Kouchner submits a proposal to the European Council of Foreign Ministers on Wednesday, and it’s approved, we’ll take it into consideration. There are a lot of ‘ifs’, and we’d need in any case to redistribute our forces, which are finite, by redeploying them from other international missions. Humanitarian aid for South Ossetia, on the other hand, is ready as of now".