PM Recalls Avramopoulos: Georgia Could Have Been EU Founder if Not for Soviet Occupation
Georgian Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili recalled the words of EU Commissioner Avramopoulos: “Georgia would have been among the founding fathers of the European Union by all means, had soviet occupation not occurred”.
The EU Commissioner was cited by the Prime Minister of Georgia while addressing the participants of the Forum – Strong Diaspora for United Georgia, dedicated to Diaspora Day in Tbilisi.
According to the Head of Government, the statement voiced by the EU Commissioner is a very important message.
Kvirikashvili said that when Georgia achieved visa liberalization with the European Union and when the first visit was made initially to the cultural capital of Europe – Athens, and then to the political capital – Brussels, together with Georgian students and youth, Avramopoulos stated that Soviet occupation had hindered Georgia, otherwise it would have been "one of the founders of the EU."
“The event celebrated on May 26 once again presented the importance of European, democratic traditions and the history of Georgia to the entire world. We need to talk more about it. We need to talk more than we did previously about the titanic work performed from 1918 to 1921. I think it is very important for Georgia. If you wish, it is an acknowledgement from my side that greater significance should be given to this very important three-year span of our history. I want to once again congratulate you on this most prominent date – the 100th Anniversary - and wish Georgia to become a fully-fledged member of the European family as dreamt of by the founding fathers of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia on 26th May 1918,” stated Kvirikashvili.