PM Ivanishvili said his visit to Israel exceeded his expectations, describing the trip as his “most successful” foreign visits so far.

“In Israel I received more than I was expecting,” he told Georgian journalists in Tel Aviv on June 25 just before wrapping up his two-day visit to Israel.

“I think that it was my most successful visit,” Ivanishvili said and then added immediately that all of his previous foreign trips were “successful”. Since becoming PM in late October 2012, Ivanishvili visited Brussels, as well as neighboring Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey, before paying visit to Israel on June 24-25.

“Georgia will become a genuine friend of Israel and the two countries will stand side by side in trying to overcome problems the two countries are facing,” he said.

Ivanishvili stressed that his meeting with Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, lasted for an hour and 45 minutes, which he said, was much longer than scheduled and during the talks they discussed, among many other issues, possibility of free trade agreement between the two countries; Ivanishvili said that this issue was not initially in the agenda of his talks in Israel.

“We have also talked about easing and lifting visa requirements and this process will start soon,” he said, adding that details would be elaborated in the course of further negotiations between officials from the two countries. “I think we will have visa free regime with Israel.”
 
“I think it was a very successful visit,” Ivanishvili said, adding that economy and security issues were also part of discussions.

Before concluding his visit, PM Ivanishvili spoke at Israeli-Georgian business forum in Tel Aviv where he said that he was very glad that he was able “to translate my emotions”, as well as “love and respect” between the two peoples “into the political level”.