Eastern Partnership countries, including Georgia, celebrate 10 years of EaP
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Tuesday, May 14
Representatives of Member States of EU and Eastern Partnership have gathered in Brussels on May 13, to celebrate 10 years of EaP.
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Davit Zalkaliani, who attended the ministerial, talked about the key topics discussed during the event: “We talked about the accomplishments of Georgia, as well as the challenges that our country still faces.”
As Zalkaliani stressed, the messages the EU has sent directly is essential not only to Georgia but to the whole region, including Russia. “Russian Federation continues the occupation of Georgia; that’s why we need direct messages from the EU.”
“Georgia has been recognized as the frontrunner by all our partners, and of course, we want the results accomplished by Georgia on its EU integration path to be adequately recognized and assessed by our European partners,” said Zalkaliani.
The minister added that the primary goal of Georgia is to become part of the EU, and the country needs 'more efficient and bolder steps to achieve that.'
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who also chaired the ministerial, talked about the importance of the EaP for both, EU and Eastern Partnership countries.
“This Partnership benefits us all; 10 years on from its creation, it has proven to be a success for our citizens. This positive experience enables us to continue to work jointly and in a spirit of close cooperation to ensure our societies can fully reap all the benefits, from increased prosperity to democracy, stability, and security that come from such a partnership,” said Mogherini.
The EaP provides a place for trade, economic strategy, travel agreements, and other issues between the EU and its Eastern European neighbors.
The project was initiated by Poland in the cooperation with Sweden and was presented at the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on May 26, 2008, by the foreign ministers of Poland and Sweden.
During the last decade, the role of EaP has been monumental in the development of Georgia. As the report released by the EU neighbors dedicated to 10th anniversary reads, the relationship between Georgia and EU has become very close and positive.
The report also talks about the visa liberalization, which gave every citizen of Georgia a chance of visiting the Countries of the Schengen Area with needing only biometric passport alongside with some documents. As Georgian authorities say, more than 300,000 Georgian citizens have traveled to the EU without a visa.
The EU remains firmly committed to its policy of supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity, but admit that there is still a long way to go in this regard.
The EU and EaP gather annually to discuss the developments and future goals. The celebration of the 10th anniversary will continue for two days. The Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze, who heads the Georgian Delegation, is already Brussels and during his visit, he will have several meetings, including one with the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
