2019-07-16
It was the most large-scale international political event in the history of independent Georgia, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze commented on Georgia's European Way, the recent international conference in Batumi.
According to the Head of Government, this conference has reaffirmed that Georgia-EU relations at an all-time high.
"I would like to thank all guests, Georgia's great friends, President Tusk, MEPs, and representatives of the European Commission. We had very important and productive meetings, and we received some strong messages. Our European integration has produced tangible results, such as the Association Agreement, free trade, and visa-free travel. At the same time, ten years ago the Eastern Partnership, a very important platform, was established to enable six state to advance their European aspirations to the next level. Georgia is the unanimously recognized leader and most successful country in the Eastern Partnership," Mamuka Bakhtadze said.
According to the Prime Minister, the Georgian side reiterated at the conference that Georgia, as the most successful Eastern Partnership member, has ambitions and capabilities to advance institutional integration with Europe to a higher qualitative level.
"Today we are an associated member, and the next step must be the implementation of our civilizational choice so that Georgia may return to its historical family by becoming a full member of the EU. In the meantime, I believe there are opportunities for Georgia to build on the successful sectoral integration with various European institutions," Mamuka Bakhtadze emphasized.
According to the Prime Minister, cooperation with European partners on the creation of similar mechanisms is in full swing.
"A few months ago, we presented a far-reaching document, our EU Integration Roadmap, which involves sectoral integration and Georgia's becoming a full member of the energy market, unified digital market, transport and energy sectors, education, science, and culture. We are an integral part of the European family; we are the most successful Eastern Partnership state, which is why Georgia deserves additional opportunities," Mamuka Bakhtadze pointed out.
According to the Prime Minister, the conversations with European colleagues involved the creation of much-needed new financial mechanisms to ensure Georgia's further success on the path of European integration.
"Once again, I would like to thank our European friends for the important messages we have heard. We had a thorough discussion on the humanitarian crisis in our occupied territories. We also discussed our initiative, A Step to a Better Future. We need our European colleagues' assistance to implement this peace initiative as soon as possible. Georgian society has been once again reassured that Georgia enjoys strong support, and that we can play a crucial role in the Black Sea security concept. That was a very strong message that we had been trying to deliver to our Western friends for years, meaning that with Black Sea security it is unimaginable to talk about stable and sustainable security for the European family, and that Georgia has a unique role in this concept," Mamuka Bakhtadze said.
Prime Minister's Press Office