Georgia and Japan are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries. On September 7, the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP), in cooperation with Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), organized the public discussion – “Thirty Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Georgia and Japan.”
The closed event was chaired by Prof. Kornely KAKACHIA, Director of the Georgian Institute of politics. Ambassador of Japan to Georgia, H.E. IMAMURA Akira, opened the discussion with his welcoming remarks. Also, the Japan Desk Officer from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ms. Medea TAMAZASHVILI, addressed the audience with a speech.
The event aimed to overview the thirty years of partnership between the two countries, assess the achievements and prospects for future cooperation. The discussion was based on the policy paper by Dr. Mariam BIBILASHVILI, affiliated researcher of the Special Program in Japanese and Eurasian Studies at the University of Tsukuba (View document). The paper argues that the main obstacle on this path is that Georgia still needs to strengthen its capability to provide a favorable environment to Japanese businesses and establish its credibility as a trustworthy actor in the Japan-EU connectivity process.
The public discussion included distinguished speakers from Japan and Georgia: Dr. HIGASHINO Atsuko (Professor, Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba), Dr. MAEDA Hirotake (Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tokyo Metoropolitan University), Ambassador Vano MACHAVARIANI, (Former Ambassador, Georgian Embassy to Japan).
The discussion was focused on the following questions:
- What have been the main milestones and achievements in Japan-Georgia relations for the last three decades?
- What are the new opportunities and challenges that the current developments in the region pose to this partnership?
- What could be new initiatives and programs that would boost even further the relationship between the two countries?
This year marks 30 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Georgia and Japan. For the last three decades, the cooperation between the two countries has developed into a close partnership as Japan has proved to be a reliable foreign development assistance contributor to Georgia. Official Tokyo has also been a strong supporter of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
