French President Emmanuel Macron has written a letter to his Georgian counterpart Salome Zurabishvili, which has been translated into Georgian by the Administration of the President of Georgia.
"Dear Mrs. President Zurabishvili
Thank you for your letter of 30 November 2020, which I read closely.
France sees your country, which is oriented on Europe, as an important partner, with which I would like to strengthen the links. The bilateral strategic dialogue, which we have launched together and which is already producing its initial results, is a clear testimony to this.
Close links between our countries are paramount in the South Caucasus's problematic context, and the 12 December France-Germany statement already emphasized this.
In your letter, you asked me to focus on Prof Gocha Lortkipanidze as the candidate for a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold office in the years 2021-2030 within the framework of the elections held in New York on 17-23 December of 2020.
You underscored his virtues, such as professional experience in international law and helping victims of war crimes, his consummate professionalism, unbiasedness, and other qualities that are mandatory in the field of international law. Indeed, the Independent Commission confirmed that your candidate had the required qualifications to take the post of International Criminal Court Judge. We also pointed out during open discussions that he was a perfect candidate.
Precisely for this reason, I do salute Mr. Lortkipanidze's appointment to the post of International Criminal Court Judge on 18 December and wish him all the success in performing his duties for the next nine years," the letter reads.
