Watch: James Cleverly and Georgian counterpart give statements after meeting in Tbilisi

James Cleverly and his Georgian counterpart, Ilia Darchiashvili, delivered statements on Friday, 17 March, after holding talks in Tbilisi.

The pair met to discuss how UK cooperation is helping to counter subversive Russian meddling, including collaboration on defence and cyber security.

In an effort to strengthen democracy in Georgia, the UK government has announced that it will provide £500,000 to encourage an environment of free and fair elections in 2024.

The foreign secretary's visit to Tbilisi came after he travelled to Moldova, where he met his counterpart Nicu Popescu in Chisinau to discuss UK efforts to support the country in the face of what his office called “malign interference” from Russia.

Speaking ahead of the visits, Mr Cleverly said: "Few societies understand the underhand tactics of Russian malign activity more than Moldova and Georgia."

"The UK will not stand idly by while Moscow blatantly undermines their democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

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