India-Georgia Bilateral Relations

Some experts believe that contacts along the Great Silk Route go back to the 4^th -3^rd centuries BC but an anonymous 5^th century AD source “Pontus Periplus” mentions that Phasis (modern Poti Port) was visited by merchants from sixty countries including India, the latter bringing iron and steel, cloth, copal and tortoise shell. The Georgian chronicle “Kartlis Tskhovreba” refers to the establishment of relations between India and Georgia during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasali (5^th C) while the well-known French traveler of the Middle Ages Delaporte talks of an Indian shrine in Tbilisi. A Georgian version of the Buddha’s life (“Wisdom of Balavar”) was brought out in the 11^th century. One of the main characters in the 12^th century Georgian national poet Shota Rustaveli’s “The Knight in the Panther Skin” is Prince Tariel of India!  In his monumental mid-19^th century history of Georgia the French historian Marie-Felicite Brosset quotes the ancient Georgian Annals to prove that Giorgi III (12^th century) maintained relations with Indian princes while Indian steel and diamonds were much prized in Georgia. Georgia claims that body of its Queen St. Ketevan (who attained martyrdom in 1624 in Shiraz) was stolen by the Portuguese and buried in St. Augustine Tower in Goa  There have been attempts to locate her remains with full support by Archaeological Survey of India). One of her descendants Herekle II of Kekheti participated in Persian ruler Nadir Shah’s 18^th century Indian campaign. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s favourite but alcoholic wife Udaipuri Begum was from Georgia. Bilateral trade picked up in the 18-19^th centuries with Rafale Danibegahsvili, a famous traveler, making five trips to India between 1795-1823 and spending several years there.

The 18^th century Georgian work ‘Kalila va Dimna’ is based on the Panchatantra while an excerpt from the Ramayana was published in Georgia in the 19^th century. The father of Indology in modern Georgia was Giorgi Akhvlediani (1887-1973), a specialist in Sanskrit, who in 1955 welcomed Jawaharlal Nehru in Tbilisi in Hindi.

Close relations (but very few high level visits) since Soviet days.  Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Tbilisi in the summer of 1976. Several Georgian girls are named Indira. Prime Minister Vajpayee had visited Georgia in June 1978 as Foreign Minister.

India formally recognized Georgia after its independence from the Soviet Union on 26 December, 1991.  Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic and Consular Relations signed on 28 September, 1992.  The first Indian Ambassador (resident in Kyiv) presented his credentials to former President Eduard Shevardnadze on 15 May 1993.

Visits

Former President Shevardnadze’s 1997 visit was cancelled. Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili visited India in May 2000 and called on Vice President, Lok Sabha Speaker, EAM and Minister of HRD and S&T.  He stressed a desire to seek closer ties with India and Indian investment in the north-south (old silk route) transport corridor, thus enabling Georgia to fulfill her historical function of bridging the East and the West.  The two sides emphasized the need to combat international terrorism and separatism as a threat to world peace and stability.  Expressed agreement on reforming Security Council. Georgia supports India’s Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Agreements

(i)                   Agreement on Trade and Economic cooperation signed by our Ambassador and the Georgian Foreign Minister on 15 August 1995

(ii)                 Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations was signed by the two Foreign Ministers in New Delhi on11 May 2000. The second round was held in Tbilisi in December 2004 during Joint Secretary (ERS)’s visit. In 2006 Georgia announced that it would open a mission in New Delhi in the near future.

(iii)                Record of Discussions to explore cooperation in Indian traditional medicine signed in Tbilisi on 29 June 2003 during visit of Secretary (Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy)

(iv)               MoU on cooperation signed between the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Georgian Employers Association in Tbilisi on 12 October 2004

Trade and Economic cooperation

Georgia had  earlier sought India’s help in reviving its tea plantations, agriculture, citrus and silk industries.  In 1995, India offered a credit line of US$ 5 million, but Georgia unable to accept it owing to IMF conditionality.  Georgia became member of WTO on 14 June 2000.  As part of the accession process signed bilateral market access Agreement with India in June 1999. 

Trade

                                                                                                                       US$ million

   (Source: Georgian Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

In 2003 the Embassy revived meat exports to Georgia and introduced sugar and wheat. In 2004 coffee and machinery entered Georgia. Pharmaceuticals and stone (marble) also entered the basked of export in later years.

In addition, the Mission has formulated a non-exclusive “four plus one” policy of sector-specific cooperation. The four sectors in which India’s expertise and experience could be very useful to Georgia are small and medium industries (including light engineering), information technology, agriculture (silkworm rearing, tea, high yield wheat varieties, and dry land farming) and science and technology (including health).

India’s main exports are pharmaceuticals, polyesters, meat, machinery, stone, tobacco, coffee, vehicles, textiles, stone, machinery and (since 2003) sugar. Indian imports are mainly scrap (aluminum, copper, ferrous and other).

Very small numbers of Mahindra Bolero 4WDs were assembled at Kutaisi Auto Plant from mid-2002-2004. The first ever business delegation from India (exporters of rice, wheat, sugar, tea) led by a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution visited Georgia in April 2003 and identified business partners. Indian rice and sugar entered the Georgian market in June 2003. Secretary, Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with a business delegation visited Georgia in June 2003. The first ever business meeting for Indian products in Armenia and Georgia was organized by the Embassy in end-August 2003 in Yerevan and Tbilisi in cooperation with the Council for Leather Exports. The response was overwhelming. In April 2005, 19 Indian companies participated in the hugely successful first ever Enterprise India Exhibition in Tbilisi jointly organized by CII and the Embassy and supported by the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Joint Secretary (Commerce) Shri M.S. Rao led the official Indian delegation that called on the Georgian Prime Minister. The idea of a India-Georgia Joint Commission was mooted. In November 2005, a 12-member pharmaceutical delegation led by the Addl. Executive Director visited Georgia and organized a Business meet. This business meet was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of Health of Georgia and attracted a large number of Georgian manufacturers/dealers of pharmaceutical products.

In 2006, a delegation sponsored by Gem & jewellery Export Promotion Council visited Georgia.  Meetings & visits to plants were organized by the Embassy in Tbilisi.

There is a huge demand for ITEC slots from Georgian nationals and there is appreciation of the courses. A couple of Georgian students study Hindi at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra under our scholarships.

Education and Culture

The Tbilisi Institute of Asia and Africa, a part of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Georgian Academy of Sciences has a Department of Hindi. Several dozen books on India were gifted to it in 2001. In August 2004, the senior Indian workers on the B-T-C pipeline contributed a TV set and dish antenna (to receive Doordarshan) as well as a computer system to the Department of Hindi. In January 2005, Punj Lloyd Ltd. (contractors for the pipeline) made a substantial donation in cash and kind to the Institute to refurbish their Indology Department. Annual grant-in-aid (suspended since 2001) of Rs. 25,000 was being given to India-Georgia Cultural Association “Bharat” which claims to promote Indian dance, music, language, etc. on our national and festival occasions. Ambassador gifted them Indian classical dance costumes and music cassettes in August 2003 on private basis. Since 2005, an association “Sitara” regularly screens new Indian films obtained through Moscow and organizes cultural events.

At the Mission’s urging, from September 2005, the elite 100-year old School No. 66 in the heart of Tbilisi has started teaching Hindi to fifth graders, the first school in Georgia to do so. Mission gifted books, posters, maps of India while Punj Lloyd Ltd. donated a satellite TV system and renovated the class room.

In 2007 Ambassador gifted 358 books on India to Tbilisi State University which had expressed a desired to have an India corner.

Indian films are popular in cinemas and on TV. Shri Parvez Dewan, a senior IAS officer from J&K was invited to speak at an international forum on Globalization and Dialogue among Civilizations in Tbilisi in September/October 2004 and again in 2007.

Indian Community/Students

About 100 Indian students study medicine in Tbilisi State Medical University. Over 1,000 Indian engineers worked in 2004 on Georgian section of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. There are also Indian students undergoing a diploma in nursing in GBT College in Tbilisi.

The Company Geo Steel in Rustavi has about 30 Indian professionals. ETA Mitsubishi Elevators also have about 10 Indians working in Tbilisi. There are some other professional and some Sisters from Mother Teresa’s Order.  There is an Indian restaurant in Tbilisi.

Humanitarian Assistance

India gifted Rs. 5 lakhs of medicines and relief supplies in December 1994 for refugees and displaced persons from Abkhazia.  Georgian Foreign Ministry thanked us. In July 2003, Georgian State (Prime) Minister wrote to PM seeking 50-100,000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance, we offered concessional commercial terms.  

Three Indian Radiation experts in IAEA international team participated in search for two abandoned Strontium 90 generators in a 550 sq km area of Western Georgia in 2002.  Earlier, India gifted Rs. 1.05 lakhs worth of medicines to treat radiation victims in Georgia.