You're reading: Kyiv, Tbilisi to intensify cooperation in trade and economic sector

Ukraine and Georgia have agreed to intensify cooperation in trade and economic relations by establishing the systematic work of an intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, which is to meet this autumn, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's information policy department has reported.

Agreement on this was reached at talks between Ukrainian and Georgian Foreign Ministers Kostiantyn Hryschenko and Grigol Vashadze in Tbilisi on Friday.

"There is currently a need to make our bilateral relations more pragmatic and reinforce the political dialog with long-term economic projects. Therefore, we discussed the issue of holding a meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation this autumn. We discussed issues in transport, energy, and the implementation of specific projects," Hryschenko said.

The sides also exchanged views on cooperation between the two states and the European Union, including the need to make the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative pragmatic.

In the context of deepening cooperation within international organizations, Hryschenko and Vashadze agreed to strengthen cooperation within the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

The head of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Hryschenko, also noted the successful development of Georgia’s cooperation with this organization and confirmed his readiness to fully support the efforts of the Council of Europe to provide assistance to Georgia in the reform process.

After the negotiations, the sides signed a plan of consultations between the foreign ministries of Ukraine and Georgia for 2011-2012.