Georgia and the United Kingdom have signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, First Channel of Georgia reports.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Davit Zalkaliani and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab signed the “Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation between Georgia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” in London on October 21, 2019.
The agreement will replace the Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU in bilateral relations with Great Britain after the Brexit. The document covers a wide range of cooperation, creates a legal framework for strategic partnership, and ensures to maintain a free trade regime between Georgia and the UK.
The agreement covers all priority areas, including: foreign and security policy; Respect for the principles of international law; Promoting peaceful resolution of the conflict; Economic dialogue; Transport; Energy; Protecting the environment and combating climate change; Industrial and entrepreneurial policies, innovations; Financial services; Information communication technologies; Tourism; Agriculture; Social policy and health care; Education and culture; Regional cooperation and more.
It is noteworthy that the Agreement foresees a free trade regime and repeats the provisions of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between Georgia and the EU.