European People’s Party Vice President Visits Georgia

TBILISI- Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP), David McAllister, is paying an official visit to Tbilisi, Georgia, today.

Georgia’s Prime Minister welcomed McAllister, saying Georgia is committed to its pro-Western aspirations.

The meeting of the two officials was held at the governmental administration this afternoon.

The main topics of the meeting were Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic and European aspirations, visa liberalization with the EU, ongoing democratic reforms and upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia.

According to the PM’s Press Office, PM Kvirikashvili spoke about the implemented reforms in the country since 2012, when the ruling party Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections.

The PM stated that the Georgian government remains devoted to the European and Euro-Atlantic path, which is reflected in the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU. He also noted that Georgia had successfully implemented Visa-Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP) and the NATO-Georgia substantial package and expressed hope that Georgia would receive full support from the EU Parliament over the visa liberalization issue. 

Parliamentary Elections in Georgia scheduled for October 8 was another of the main topics of the meeting, with the PM claiming that the Georgian Government fully intended to hold free, transparent and democratic elections.

"We expect and welcome as many observers from the European Parliament as possible," Kvirikashvili told McAllister.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze, and State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Davit Bakradze.

By Thea Morrison