European Day celebrated in Tbilisi
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, May 9
Georgia’s capital Tbilisi celebrated European Day on May 7 in Rike Park with 18 EU member state embassies and other partners.
The event consisted of concerts during the whole day, including Jazzanova live feat. Paul Randolph, Mgzarvrebi, as well as other performers, activities, games and prizes.
“Today, we are celebrating the new opportunities that have emerged between the EU and Georgia,” EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman said in his speech at the event.
He stressed that the 60th anniversary of the creation of the EU, as well as the launch of diplomatic relations between Georgia and the European Union, was marked.
"However, we should not only look back in the past, we should observe the future. Today we are celebrating new opportunities that have emerged between the EU and Georgia. These are opportunities of travel, learning, new businesses and new jobs. We should focus on this," said Janos Herman.
President Giorgi Margvelashvili also made a speech, highlighting the high role of the European Union in the state development and its support in terms of the territorial issues.
The President thanked the EU Monitoring Mission, the only mission monitoring the situation near the country’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
The President thanked each member of the EUMM, as well as each country which sends its representative to the mission.
"This mission is a real and important guarantee for stability and peace in our country and in the region. There is no meeting with international partners where would do not emphasize the importance of the mission. Thank you for your efforts every day,” said Margvelashvili.
Four days ago, the State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Georgia, Victor Dolidze, and the European Commission Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, signed a Financing Agreement launching the 2016 Technical Cooperation Facility.
Through this programme, which will run until 2024, the European Union will allocate GEL 83 million (EUR 32 million) to Georgian public institutions to help them comply with commitments set out in the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and Visa Liberalisation and Readmission Agreement as well as support participation of Georgian beneficiary institutions in select EU programmes.
