On October 20, Ilia Darchiashvili, the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered his first report to the Parliament in the form of a Ministerial Hour. The Foreign Minister reviewed the Ministry's 2022 actions during the hour-long briefing and included upcoming initiatives. 

Minister Darchiashvili emphasized the need to foster peaceful and cordial relationships to maintain stability in the area, noting that the Georgian government is making intensive efforts in this regard. He attracted attention to Georgia's "Peaceful Neighborhood Initiative," which included a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Tbilisi. "We think that this program and its execution are crucial for the area, and our Western partners' engagement should contribute to its success. High-level discussions will be held to explore the execution of this idea's practical elements," Minister Darchiashvili said. 

Regarding the current conflict in Ukraine, Minister Darchiashvili stated, "From the start of Russia's full-scale military assault, Georgia has continued to firmly support Ukraine in both political and diplomatic, as well as humanitarian, aspects." He explained that Georgia's firm stance, whether it be in the co-authorship or co-sponsorship of resolutions, or joining statements within the framework of all international platforms, is an expression of Georgia's solidarity with Ukraine, which is expressed not only by practical support in a bilateral format but also by Georgia's position. The Foreign Minister also cited several social initiatives put forth by the government to assist the more than 28,000 Ukrainians residing in Georgia and claimed that Georgian schools have also established Ukrainian-speaking divisions for pupils displaced from Ukraine. 

According to FM Darchiashvili, his ministry spared no effort to keep the issue of the occupied regions on the international agenda while continuing the policy of strengthening the nation's sovereignty and territorial integration, pursuing de-occupation, and aiming to resolve the Russian-Georgian conflict peacefully. The Geneva International Discussions (GID) was mentioned as one of the forums for achieving this goal. He also underlined the significance of mobilizing international assistance in de-occupying the country and peacefully resolving the issues. In that regard, the Minister stated that the government's objective in these talks is to obtain tangible results and strengthen the process, which, in his opinion, will ensure that the August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement is put into effect and that the procedure for the dignified return of internally displaced people to their homes begins. Minister Darchiashvili stated that this implies the withdrawal of Russian armed forces from [separatist] Abkhazia and the [separatist] Tskhinvali region and the deployment of international security and human rights protection mechanisms on the ground, adding that Tbilisi will continue to provide those behind the occupation line with the advantages of advancements made on the European and Euro-Atlantic paths. 

While referring to the US as Georgia's primary strategic ally, Minister Darchiashvili emphasized that Georgia plays an increasingly crucial role in the creation of the US' European security architecture. The Foreign Minister cited the unambiguous support for Georgia's European integration in the new US National Security Strategy as evidence of this. The Foreign Minister claims that Georgia is still a dependable and strong partner of the United States. According to him, the political, practical, and financial help that the United States of America offers to Georgia, including defense and security, commerce and investment, as well as other vital sectors, is obvious and evident. 

"The nation is continuing on its consistent route toward integration into the EU," the Foreign Minister said. In this regard, he emphasized Georgia's decision to formally submit an application for EU membership in May, noting that this fulfilled the order of the Georgian people and opened up a real chance of joining the European Union and the government of Georgia. While discussing the matter, Minister Darchiashvili also emphasized how historic it was for the EU to offer Georgia European Perspective and how it officially opened the door to Georgia's entrance to the European Union and brought our ties to a whole new stage. He said, "We will keep working to make Georgia as soon as possible a beneficiary of the pre-accession instrument."

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