Today, more than ever, Georgia is close to Europe, EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman stated at the opening of the EU-Georgia Awareness Campaign attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili addressed the event’s participants and emphasized the beginning of a very important campaign seeking to draw Georgia and the Georgians closer to Europe.
“Today our country, with its ancient history, culture, and rich traditions, has an opportunity to draw closer to the democratic European family, to make its contribution to diverse and rich European culture and to the honorable cause of ensuring peace and security. Very soon, we are expecting an official approval for visa-free travel, yet another tangible result of our European integration,” the Prime Minister stated.
According to Giorgi Kvirikashvili, the implementation of the Association Agreement Action Plan is well underway, and every reform carried out by the Government of Georgia in the process of the country’s European integration, first of all, aims to benefit Georgia’s citizens.
The Prime Minister emphasized the significant support from the EU, both expert and financial assistance, in the fulfilment of Georgia’s obligations under the Association Agreement. The Prime Minister singled out the project “Supporting the Implementation of the Association Agreement” as its clear example, and thanked EU member states on behalf of the Government and Georgian people.
“As anti-Western propaganda keeps growing, our citizens should receive as much information as possible on the measures taken toward European integration. This is why the engagement of the Office of the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Information Center on NATO and the EU in the awareness campaign is so vital. Our citizens must be maximally informed on the political and economic relations between the EU and Georgia. Our citizens should be aware of the concrete benefits the Association Agreement, the DCFTA component, and ultimate visa-liberalization with the EU, offers each of us. Our history is a history of aspiring for freedom. Now we are approaching the goal set by our ancestors centuries ago, the goal pursued by our generation. Life in the large European family will offer the best opportunities to ensure our country’s progress and development,” the Prime Minister stated and once again thanked the European friends for their support and solidarity.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili stressed that European and Euro-Atlantic integration is much more than the country’s foreign policy trajectory.
“This trajectory defines our domestic reforms agenda, its structure and directions. This strategy serve the purpose of bettering the living conditions of our citizens and the introduction in our everyday lives of the values that have historically distinguished our nation,” the Prime Minister said.
The event’s participants were also addressed by Georgia’s State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Victor Dolidze, EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, Justice Minister Thea Tzulukiani, and Director of the Information Center on NATO and the EU Ketevan Chachava.
The event was attended by representatives of state institutions, the Georgian Orthodox Christian Church, NGOs, and the diplomatic corps.
The EU-Georgia Awareness Campaign is implemented under the project “Supporting the Implementation of the Association Agreement”.
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Irakli Garibashvili: Handover of the EU Accession Questionnaire puts a huge responsibility on us towards intensifying our efforts on the road leading to EU membership
Measures to be carried out for filling the EU Accession Questionnaire, which was handed over by the European Commission to Georgia on 11TH April 2022, have been discussed at the 62ND Session of the Government Commission on EU Integration of Georgia. It was held and led by Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia at the Government Administration today.
The Prime Minister of Georgia highlighted the importance of maximum coordination and active engagement of every institution in making sure that the process of filling is efficient and gets completed in the shortest period of time.
"We filed the EU Membership Application on March 3, thereby advancing to a new stage of EU-Georgia relations. Of course, this decision puts a huge responsibility on our shoulders towards intensifying our efforts on the road of our accession to the European Union. At the meeting today, we discussed the measures to be carried out towards filling the EU Accession Questionnaire handed over by the European Commission to us on April 11. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia personally held a meeting with EU Commissioner Varhelyi in Luxemburg, who actually handed over the EU Accession Questionnaire to him. We gathered today to discuss the measures that need to be carried out by all of us together. Engagement of every stakeholder is essential, along with maximum coordination to make sure that it gets filled in the most efficient manner and returned timely in the form of a complete document" stated the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Ilia Darchiashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia was the key speaker at the meeting related to the EU Accession Questionnaire today. It was noted that a new stage of EU-Georgia relations started with the handover of the said document. As commonly known, the EU Accession Questionnaire has been handed over to all three countries of the Associated Trio - Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, and this process is continued in this very format.
The EU Accession Questionnaire will be processed by the Georgian side in a timely manner and returned to the European partners, while the European Commission will release its opinion at the end of June 2022. Efficient and effective filling of the document, which will engage every stakeholder, will be organized in the form of workgroups under the umbrella of personal control by the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Press Service of the Government Administration
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EU and Georgia hold consultations on security and defence
On 29-30 March in Tbilisi, the European External Actions Service (EEAS) Managing Director for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response Mr. Pawel Herczynski and Director General of EU Military Staff Vice-Admiral Hervé Bléjean co-chaired with the Georgian First Deputy Minister of Defence Ms Lela Chikovani the EU-Georgia Consultations on Security and Defence. During the annual consultations and in the context of the military aggression against Ukraine, the sides discussed the regional security situation and ways to further deepen cooperation between the EU and Georgia in the security and defence domain, including tackling hybrid threats, cyber security challenges and fighting disinformation. EEAS delegation also met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Chairman of Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Security and Chairman of Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Relations.
EU-Georgia
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Irakli Garibashvili: Investment in the volume of 180 MLN USD will significantly facilitate development of the water supply system
Investment in the volume of 180 MLN USD will significantly facilitate development of the water supply system and qualitative improvement of its management. It was stated by Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia at an online meeting with Felix Parra Mediavilla, Executive Director of Aqualia and Irakli Gilauri, Chairman and Chief Executive of Georgia Capital today.
The Head of Government of Georgia expressed his gratitude to investors for their demonstrated trust.
Aqualia, being a world leader with an HQ in Spain, has thus become an official strategic investor and partner of Georgia Global Utilities (GGU) - a daughter company of Georgia Capital. Aqualia invested 180 MLN USD by acquiring 80% of Georgian Water and Power. Georgia Capital continues to own 20% in the utility company.
Online meeting was focused on the close relations between Spain and Georgia. According to Irakli Garibashvili, Georgia is a reliable and stable business partner.
The Prime Minister of Georgia noted that the economy of the country grew by 10.6% in 2021. According to him, Georgia has undergone a significant transformation in the last decade and has been advancing fast to a more liberal and free market economy with one of the lowest tax rates in the world and readily-available access to public services.
Advancing positions of Georgia in leading global ratings, due to ease of doing business and economic freedom, were highlighted at the meeting.
Focus was made on the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA), along with a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with China, EFTA nations, Ukraine, Turkey and CIS countries, which let the investors gain exposure to multi-million consumer markets through Georgia. In addition, Irakli Garibashvili noted that the Government of Georgia makes huge investments in land, marine and railroad infrastructure to position the country as a regional hub of trade and logistics.
Press Service of the Government Administration
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European Union and Georgia hold their fourth Strategic Security Dialogue
The fourth high-level EU–Georgia Strategic Security Dialogue took place on 25 November 2021 in Brussels. The meeting reflected the commitment and interest of both the EU and Georgia to take forward their cooperation in the area of foreign and security policy, in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.
The participants discussed the conflict dynamics in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, including recent developments on the ground in relation with Russia, and stressed the importance of the implementation of the EU mediated 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement. Both sides once again highlighted the important role of the EU Monitoring Mission for peace and security in Georgia, and underlined the necessity of full implementation of its mandate. The European Union reaffirmed its unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
They also discussed a number of topical foreign policy issues, including the state of affairs and increasing security challenges in the South Caucasus and the wider region.
The EU expressed appreciation for Georgia's continued and valuable contribution to the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, particularly through Georgia’s participation in EU-led crisis management operations and missions in the Central African Republic and the Republic of Mali. The participants also discussed avenues for increased cooperation in the field of security and defence, including in relation to addressing hybrid threats and increasing Georgia's capacities and resilience. The European Union commended Georgia’s role as a transit hub during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The dialogue was co-chaired by Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs / Political Director of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora and First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Lasha Darsalia. First Deputy Defence Minister of Georgia Lela Chikovani also participated in the meeting.
Deputy Secretary-General Mora said:
"The EU continues to remain strongly engaged in efforts to achieve peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia by using all instruments at its disposal. The EU also values the role of Georgia as an important partner in promoting security both regionally and internationally. The EU has a clear interest in a secure, stable and prosperous Georgia. We want to actively contribute to durable and comprehensive settlements of all conflicts in the region, including where possible through support for confidence-building, stabilisation, and post-conflict rehabilitation measures. The EU stands ready to provide further impetus for regional cooperation and economic development of the South Caucasus, including as appropriate through the opportunities available under the Eastern Partnership."
Deputy Foreign Minister Darsalia said:
“Georgia and the EU share a common goal of promoting security and stability in Europe and beyond. This interest has been manifested in the high-level Strategic Dialogue that Georgia and EU launched in 2017. Today’s meeting is yet another confirmation that EU and Georgia stand together to strengthen our resilience to hybrid threats and counter through joint efforts challenges such as cyber threats or disinformation. We have also had an exchange on new possibilities to upgrade our security cooperation. Georgia has reaffirmed its interest to engage in the EU PESCO projects. Georgia condemns continuous provocations in and around the occupied territories of Georgia. We updated the EU on the work of the Government Commission on the Georgia’s State Strategy for De-occupation and Peaceful Conflict Resolution. We raised the issue of “Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili” List and recalled the landmark judgement of the European Court of Human Rights. Georgia emphasizes the necessity of peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict and, in this regard, underlined the importance of reaching tangible results in the Geneva International Discussions.”
The meetings of the high-level EU–Georgia Strategic Security Dialogue are held once a year and cover issues of common interest in the field of foreign and security policy, including the CSDP.MFA Georgia
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Georgia: Leading MEPs react to the refusal of the political parties to reach an agreement
In a joint statement, MEPs deplore that Georgia’s political leaders did not agree to EU mediator Christian Danielsson’s proposal and announce consequences in terms of EU-Georgia relations.
Following a meeting on 1 April with Christian Danielsson, personal envoy of European Council President Charles Michel for the EU-mediated political dialogue in Georgia, leading MEPs issued the following joint statement:
“We are deeply disappointed with the political leaders in Georgia for their inability to reach an agreement last Tuesday despite the best efforts deployed by the European Union to help put an end to the current political crisis. Both the ruling and the main opposition parties taking part in the discussions are to be blamed for this outcome and a special responsibility lies with the party in government.
We reiterate our strong support to Christian Danielsson’s tireless work and welcome the publication of the proposal he made to the political parties, which further increased the transparency of the mediation process. It is essential to rebuild confidence between political party actors. The content of this proposal is indeed the right way ahead for Georgia: ambitious electoral and judicial reforms, meaningful sharing of responsibilities in the Georgian Parliament and, most importantly, a solution on future elections and on two cases of politicised justice. This solution is politically balanced and respects both the rule of law and the international assessment of the 2020 elections. We also welcome the idea of a Jean-Monnet Dialogue process supported by the European Parliament, when the political situation allows.
Following the refusal from the political parties to compromise, Georgia’s leaders should not expect a return to business as usual from the European Union. The European Parliament in particular will call for consequences in terms of EU financial assistance, including both a suspension of further disbursements of and an increase in conditionality linked to EU Macro Financial Assistance and budget support programmes.
In the meantime, the adoption of ongoing electoral and judicial reforms in the Georgian Parliament requires broad political support and the need to fully implement the recommendations of OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. These reforms are key to rebuild trust. We call on the ruling party to ensure a genuinely inclusive process to avoid the further undermining of both future elections and the judiciary, as well as unnecessarily closing the door to a possible agreement in the future.
We call on Georgia’s leaders to take action immediately. The future of EU-Georgia relations is at stake.”
Background
The increasing frictions between political parties in Georgia following the November 2020 parliamentary elections and the arrest of the opposition leader in mid-February have sparked a major political crisis in Georgia. The EU is actively engaged to help overcome the tensions among Georgia's political parties. Christian Danielsson, European Council President Charles Michel's personal envoy, conducted in Tbilisi two rounds of mediation among the parties and presented a proposal for a way ahead for Georgia. The European Parliament strongly supports his efforts.The statement is co-signed by:
David McAllister (EPP, Germany), Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Co-Chair of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group;Marina Kaljurand (S&D, Estonia), Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus;
Andrius Kubilius (EPP, Lithuania), Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly;
Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (The Greens/EFA, Germany), lead member of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group for Georgia;
Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonia), European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Georgia;
Michael Gahler (EPP, Germany), European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Ukraine;
Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuania), European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Belarus.
