2018-09-11
As Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze emphasized at the Tbilisi International Conference organized by the McCain Institute and the Economic Policy Research Center, we must prepare Georgia and its democratic institutions for membership, and when the decision is ripe, Georgia must be ready to join both NATO and the EU.
Chief Columnist for Financial Time Edward Luce inquired whether or not Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a private conversation during her recent visit to Georgia, reassured the Prime Minister of Germany's firm support of Georgia's accession to NATO and the EU.
"It depends on the geopolitical situation and status quo. So the idea is that we should prepare Georgia and democratic institutions that, once the decision is matured, Georgia is fully ready to become a full member of both the EU and NATO. We are a very result-oriented government, but we should not forget the transformation process is also of vital importance, transformation to make Georgia a true European democracy and transformation of our economy as well, because one of the major challenges that we have in Georgia is still poverty. We could reduce this figure significantly, but it is still very high, about 29% of population lives on poverty. Therefore, we have benchmarks in our policy directly tied to our foreign aspirations. We are very optimistic that Western countries and our partners see with their own eyes that Georgia is trying hard. Moreover, Georgia has become an outlier in this region, and everybody understands that. It is a big responsibility not only for us but also for our partner countries. It is more than geopolitics. Our choice is a civilizational, value-driven choice to become a member of the European and Western family, because Georgia is an organic part of European civilization, and our past has been European, our outlook is European, our culture is European, our values are European, our commitment to building European institutions is truly European, and we are trying to build a truly European democracy in Georgia. That is beyond geopolitics-that is always my argument when analysts are asking us if it is our political or geopolitical decision. No it is not a geopolitical decision of my generation or the generation of my parents that we suddenly decided to become part of NATO and the EU. We have organically always been part of this civilization, so we deserve to be part of this family," the Prime Minister underscored.
Prime Minister's Press Office