EU top official Johannes Hahn to visit Georgia soon
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, November 19
The Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, will pay a visit to Georgia soon, to locally observe Georgia’s progress on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration.
The announcement came after the November 16 second Association Council meeting in Brussels, during which high ranking Georgian and European Union (EU) officials discussed Georgia’s European future.
As Hahn stated, he will visit Georgia in the frame of an unofficial dialogue of the Eastern Partnership and hold meetings with top Georgian officials. However, he did not name an exact date.
“I will have the opportunity to once again see the progress Georgia has made on its path towards Euro-Atlantic integration,” Hahn said, noting that he recognised all the intention and reforms Georgia had carried out for the country to be in full accordance with European standards.
Within yesterday’s meeting, top EU officials recognised the progress Georgia has made in implementing its Association Agreement (AA) and towards visa liberalisation.
Federica Mogherini, the Vice President of the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated hat she could not definitely say whether Georgia will be granted full visa liberalisation with the EU states by the end of the year or not, but she said she could see “very positive signs”.
The press release published after the meeting reads that the EU called on all political actors in Georgia to guarantee a free and pluralistic media environment, as well as political pluralism.
“Both sides agreed on the need to maintain democratic momentum in light of the October 2016 parliamentary elections in Georgia. The EU calls on all political actors in Georgia to guarantee a free and pluralistic media environment, as well as political pluralism, as a prerequisite for the conduct of democratic elections while refraining from any steps or statements that could increase tension and foster polarization,” reads the press-release.
