European Commission Representatives Hold Meetings in Georgia

TBILISI - Christian Danielsson, Director General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission and Thomas Mayr-Harting, Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia at European External Action Service are paying an official visit to Georgia to discuss ongoing reforms under the Association Agreement and Europe's Neighborhood Policy.

The representatives of the European Commission met with the Foreign Minister of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that they discussed priorities of Georgia-EU bilateral co-operation paying special attention to the importance of the Association Agenda and the Single Support Framework which will allow Georgia to successfully carry out reforms under the Association Agreement.

"We can clearly see the positive effects of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). I looked on the figures - 16 percent increase of Georgian exports to the EU in 2015, and we expect this to continue. This is important for Georgian citizens,” Christian Danielsson said.

The importance of strategic communication in terms of promoting concrete results on the path to European integration was also highlighted.  The parties exchanged their views on the importance of the fifth Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit scheduled for November 24, 2017 in Brussels.

“Georgia is a particularly dynamic partner in the framework of the EaP, and we are impressed by the commitment of Georgia to its approximation to the EU internal market,” Mayr-Harting noted while meeting with Janelidze.

Janelidze expressed gratitude for the European Union’s active involvement, including in the Geneva International Discussions.

Moreover, the representatives of the European Commission met Georgia’s Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

Special attention was paid to the importance of the timely finalization of procedures for visa liberalization, and hope was expressed that Georgia's citizens will enjoy visa-free travel in the near future.

The role of EU financial support in Georgia's ongoing reforms was emphasized, and so were prospects of involving Georgia in new assistance tools and different programs.

The parties spoke about the development of education and infrastructure, directions targeted by EU projects in 2017.

By Thea Morrison