EU President: EU-Georgia ties "strengthening rapidly"

President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said after meeting with Georgia’s PM Nika Gilauri in Brussels on March 16, that relations between EU and Georgia were “strengthening rapidly”.

He said Georgia was “the only South Caucasus country to have successfully negotiated” visa facilitation and readmission agreements, whose signing and entry into force were now undergoing through EU’s internal decision-making procedures.

“We hope that we can soon fix a date for signature, possibly early June,” he said.

Herman Van Rompuy also said discussions within EU on the draft negotiation directives for an Association Agreement with Georgia were coming to an end, which “means that it should be soon possible to start” talks on this agreement, including a deep and comprehensive free trade treaty.

“The strengthening of relations between Georgia and the EU is a stimulus for Georgia to deliver on further democratic reforms,” he said.

He also said that although EU would not send observers to monitor May local elections, but “will watch the developments closely.”

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will send observers to monitor local elections.

Herman Van Rompuy reiterated EU’s support to Georgia’s territorial integrity and said EU “expects Russia to fulfil all its commitments from the ceasefire agreements.”

“It is the EU's intention to remain actively involved in confidence building measures and conflict resolution. The EU Monitoring Mission has proven to be a crucial factor of stability. It will remain so also in the future,” he said.


/Civil.ge/