The spiritual sphere occupies a special place in our relations

H.E. Mr. Teimuraz Sharashenidze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia

H.E. Mr. Teimuraz Sharashenidze graduated in medicine and law. He has a Ph.D. in medicine. Worked as deputy minister of healthcare, headed Social Policy Department at the Council of Ministers. In 1996 he took the diplomatic path – Consul at the Embassy of Georgia in Ankara and Consul General in Istanbul.
Married, three sons.
Speaks English, Turkish and Russian.

The family of the Ambassador of Georgia feels well in Bulgaria. They have already visited Varna, Burgas, the Rila and the Bachkovo Monasteries, they have been in the ski resort Borovets. Before assuming this office, H.E. Mr. Teimuraz Sharashenidze had visited our country several times. He has wonderful impressions from Bulgaria and its development in the last years. He is interested in the history, national psychology, culture and traditions of the Bulgarians.

Your Excellency, in a sense our peoples are close in terms of spirit and mentality. Bulgaria and Georgia have rich historical experience in defending their national identity and interests through the centuries. Where does the accent of cooperation lie, what should be paid more attention to in the bilateral relations?
In its long history Georgia as an independent country has always aspired for peace. Its geo-strategic location, like that of Bulgaria, has always been tempting for most of the big countries and we have been forced to defend our independence going the thorny road to freedom. The similarities in the historic development, especially in the last two centuries, the firm pursuit of freedom, religious and spiritual communication brought the two peoples closer. The identical final goals of development and existence, the great coincidence of the international and regional interests and the crucial geo-strategic location that is not only a geographic crossroads between Europe and Asia but also a constructive political-economic and spiritual bridge between the Western and the Eastern civilizations, add special significance to our relations.

Today, in the beginning of the 21st c, the Black Sea region is renovating itself, democratization comes to replace the time-honored imperial relations.

After the victory of the so-called Revolution of the Roses, the formation of civil society and the firm position and determination of the government to make a reform based on democratic principles places Georgia among the countries which have chosen the democratic way of development. The situation in Ukraine is similar. Bulgaria and Romania are NATO members and in 2007 they will join the European Union. Another country in the region – Turkey, which is a NATO member since 1953, has been officially invited to start negotiations with the European Union.
These changes open new perspectives to all countries in the Black Sea region and economic cooperation comes to the fore. The vector of these relations also changes. A new important Balkan-Caucasus development direction appears along with the traditional ones.