Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

Otar Shamugia meets the Ambassador of Austria to Georgia Thomas Mühlmann

Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia held a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Georgia Mr. Thomas Muhlmann.
 
 The Minister expressed his appreciation to the Ambassador for the significant support being implemented by Austria in the agricultural development and environmental protection fields in the country.


"Austria is an important supporter and partner of our country. Through support provided by Austria and our other friendly countries over the 30 years, the integration into a large European family has become a reality for Georgia. We make our best efforts to speed up this process. It is important for us to boost access to Georgian products in the European market. 
Georgia is a small country, therefore, it will not be able to compete with large countries with the volume of export products produced in our country, however, we have the potential to establish our niche in the international market, as a country producing high-quality organic products, for which we are actively working with donor organizations," - said Mr. Otar Shamugia. 

 According to the Minister, currently, against the background of the difficult political and economic situation in the region, the support of partner countries is even more necessary and crucial for Georgia to increase food self-sufficiency,  diversify export markets, and promote environmental reforms.
  
The Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Georgia, Mr.  Muhlmann marked 30 years of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Georgia and Austria, and noted, that Georgia's European aspirations are obvious. Austria will continue to support our country in implementing reforms that will help Georgia to achieve its goal. 

"We have had fruitful cooperation with Georgia over the years. The Austrian Development Agency, together with the Ministry has implemented a number of important projects in food safety, animal identification /registration, rural development areas, forest sector reform, and many others. Considering Georgia's ambition toward Europe,  we will support the development of rural and agricultural areas, mountain tourism, as well as environmental and ecotourism fields. In addition, the Austrian agency is ready to share the experience with the Georgian side in ensuring sustainable forest management. It should be noted, that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture will be our important partner in the future as well, "- said Mr. Thomas Muhlman.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Mrs. Nino Tandilashvili and the Head of the Office in Tbilisi, Austrian Development Agency Mr. Alexander Karner.