Tusk: 10 Years after Russia-Georgia War, EU Position is Unchanged
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, January 24
The European Council President Donald Tusk says that 10 years after the Russia-Georgia war the EU has a firm position towards Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tusk made the statement late on Tuesday, after his meeting with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili in Brussels.
"The Georgia-EU partnership is perfect. The EU is Georgia's largest trading partner. After enactment of the Georgia -EU visa liberalization, approximately 300,000 Georgian citizens enjoyed the opportunity.
“At the meeting [with Zurabishvili], I confirmed the EU's willingness to deepen the Georgia-EU co-operation within the Association Agreement. The agreement brought significant benefits to our citizens. I also welcome Georgia's commitment to reforms. We have agreed on the importance of the rule of law and progress in the judicial system,” Tusk stated.
During her first official trip abroad Zurabishvili has also met with top EU and NATO figures, Georgian students and members of the Georgian diaspora.
Zurabishvili and the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stated that 2019 will be an “important year” in the EU-Georgia relations.
Georgian Ambassador to the EU Natalie Sabanadze stated that Zurabishvil’s first official trip to Brussels was a “political message,” and claimed that the visit was “much awaited” in Brussels.
Zurabishvili says her three top foreign priorities include:
Raising Georgian issues more intensively on the international arena.
Further enhancing Georgia-EU relations.
Supporting closer relations with representatives of the Georgian diaspora.
