Eastern Partnership European School Opens in Tbilisi

Georgian Prime Minister, Mamuka Bakhtadze and the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn opened the Eastern Partnership European School in Tbilisi on September 4.

It is the first such school established outside the EU. The school is for graduate school students from Eastern Partnership countries and offers internationally recognized European quality educational programs. After completion, students will receive International Baccalaureate Diplomas of European standards.

“My mission was to launch the first school outside the European Union, which would attract Eastern Partnership students and give them not only a chance to get a high level of education, but the possibility of lying deep in European values,” Johannes Hahn stated at the opening ceremony.

According to the Commissioner, it is a very important commitment to invest in education.

 “Offering high quality education to youth is an investment in the future of the students, of their countries, and of our strong and enduring partnership. The school's opening is also proof of our determination to implement the 20 deliverables for 2020, which are at the heart of the Eastern Partnership and will bring tangible benefits to citizens,” he added.

Georgia's Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said the Eastern Partnership European School is a novelty for Georgia and the whole South Caucasus region.

“Georgia became the first country outside the EU where such a school is founded. I would like to welcome the students who encourage us. I am declaring it with a full responsibility that the interest of students and young people, as well as education sector reform, is the most important priority for us,” he stated.

Hahn visited Georgia on September 3. He met the Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, President Giorgi Margvelashvili and had a face-to-face meeting with Bakhtadze too.

The meeting emphasized the importance of opening the European school in Georgia, the first of its kind in the Eastern Neighborhood.

The sides also discussed new, top-level format of dialogue with the EU, with its first meeting to be held in November under the chairmanship of the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of Georgia in Brussels.

The conversation paid special attention to Georgia's progress in democratic development and European integration.

Bakhtadze talked about the government's initiative to develop a roadmap designed to ensure greater alignment with the EU using all available mechanisms of cooperation.

Agenda of Georgia-EU Association, the successful implementation of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement, also the further intensification of cooperation in bilateral, regional, and multilateral formats were also discussed at the meeting.

By Thea Morrison

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