Foreign Minister Highlights Georgian Prime Minister's Focus on European Unity at 4th EPC Summit
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, July 19, 2024
Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, speaking to journalists, said that at the 4th meeting of the European Political Community, the Georgian Prime Minister had the opportunity to engage with various leaders, emphasizing the importance of European unity and consolidation. Darchiashvili highlighted the significance of the summit and Georgia's efforts to integrate more closely with the European family.
Darchiashvili remarked on the summit's opening message, underscoring the emphasis on European unity. He stated, "Today a very important event is taking place in the United Kingdom. This platform, created at the initiative of President Macron, aims to bring together countries aspiring to join the European Union and those already part of the European family. This is one of the mechanisms by which Georgia also tries to get closer to the European family, the European Union. We have a separate, individual, bilateral format with the European Union, which is the main line of our European integration. However, the European Political Community platform is one of the useful mechanisms for Georgia to continue its successful European integration."
The Prime Minister's discussions with various leaders at the summit included key topics such as Ukraine and regional security challenges. "One of the main topics at the opening event was Ukraine and the challenges we face in terms of security. There was a strong message about the importance of consolidation and unity within the European family," said Darchiashvili.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted the Prime Minister's participation in a round table discussion on energy and connectivity. "The Prime Minister participated in the round table format along with various leaders. The discussion centered on energy and connectivity, and Georgia is a crucial participant in this process due to its geographical location and its role in connecting the East and the West," Darchiashvili explained.
The discussions included significant energy projects, such as the Black Sea power transmission cable, which aims to diversify Europe's energy supply. Darchiashvili added, "Georgia presented concrete initiatives for the final document that the participants of today's event will agree on. The issues that are important to us and on which we are actively working are being addressed here. Our initiatives and visions are expected to be reflected in the final documents."
He concluded by emphasizing the collective effort to consolidate and diversify energy resources, reducing dependence on any single country. "The main message is that the countries try to consolidate as much as possible and also ensure the diversification of energy resources so that there is no dependence on any one country," Darchiashvili said.
