The Cape Verdean ambassador in Lisbon will be the only one who, "due to other commitments", will not be able to participate, and Portugal will be represented, in the absence of its permanent ambassador to the CPLP, António de Almeida Lima, the organization's executive secretary, Zacarias da Costa, told Lusa.

During their stay in Tbilisi, they are expected to have audiences with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as with the Vice-President of the Parliament, Archil Talakvadze, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Levan Davitashvili, and meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, and with the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth, Aleksandre Tsuladze, on Monday, according to a statement issued by the organization on Friday afternoon.

The CPLP delegation was invited to participate in a cultural event at the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, as part of the celebrations of May 5 - "World Portuguese Language Day" and "Portuguese Language and Culture Day in the CPLP" -, and in the military oath-taking ceremony on May 26, which marks Georgia's Independence Day.

The program also includes visits to the National Museum, the Museum of Soviet Occupation and the House of Justice in Tbilisi, as well as "a guided tour of the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of Old Tbilisi and Mtskheta", according to the statement.

This visit came about following an invitation from the Georgian authorities and will take place between May 25 and 28.

"The MNE [Minister of Foreign Affairs] invited me and also the Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the CPLP to celebrate World Portuguese Language Day in Tbilisi in May and the 10th anniversary of Georgia's entry as an associate observer", the organization's executive secretary announced to Lusa last February.

At the same time, Zacarias da Costa said that the invitation had been accepted, so the visit to Georgia would take place in May.

The visit takes place at a time when the country is experiencing great instability, with street demonstrations against the "foreign influence" bill, which, according to its detractors, was inspired by Russian legislation that has been used since 2012 to suppress the opposition.

Georgia became an associate observer of the CPLP at the X Conference of Heads of State and Government, which took place on July 23, 2014, in Dili, Timor-Leste, at the same summit where Namibia, Turkey and Japan also obtained that status.

Today, the CPLP has more than 30 associate observers, including countries and organizations, and at the last summit of heads of state and government, which took place in 2023 in São Tomé and Príncipe, the new regulation for associate observers was approved, which requires them to play a more active role in terms of cooperation.

The category of associate observer and consultative observer of the CPLP was created in 2005, after a decision by the Community's Council of Ministers, having opened up the opportunity for the eventual entry of Portuguese-speaking states or regions of third countries.

States wishing to acquire associate observer status must share the guiding principles, namely with regard to the promotion of democratic practices, good governance and respect for human rights, and pursue, through their government programs, objectives identical to those of the organization.

Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste are the nine Member States of the CPLP.

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