PM Kvirikashvili: Georgia Is No Longer a Post-Soviet Country
Georgia is no longer a ‘post’ country. We need to get rid of these ‘post’ clichés. We are a country that can be easily called an Eastern European country said Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili while at the annual GLOBSEC Global Security Forum in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia.
Kvirikashvili made the statement in response to the Russian delegate, Russian Duma Education and Science Committee Head, Vyacheslav Nikonov, who stated that Russia is not against Georgia and Ukraine’s integration into the European Union but is against of their membership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Russia supports Georgia’s EU integration,” Nikonov said. “What is Georgia to Russia? This is the main question. What is the map of Georgia? What is the country they are talking about? That is the biggest question. I’m sorry, but mentioning the lower pace of economic growth while its stability is undermined by Russian intervention sounds very sarcastic,” he added while delivering speech at a panel debate ‘Eastern Neighborhood 2017: Times of Turmoil Ahead?’
Kvirikashvili said that Georgia has the lowest corruption rate, lower than in many European countries.
“We are sixteenth according to the World Bank Doing Business rating, boasting one of the best business climates. According to the Heritage Foundation, we are thirteenth freest economy in the world and our indicators are improving year on year,’’ he said.
Kvirikashvili also spoke about Georgia’s territorial integrity issues, current democratic reforms, the geopolitical role of the country and other topics concerning Georgia.
He said that visa liberalization is a big achievement for Georgia, bringing tangible results for the European aspiration of the country.
“It means not only free travel for Georgians but also has a deep political meaning as Europe has opened the door for us. This is a political step from Europe again, showing appreciation for Georgia’s efforts, it all comes against a background of a challenging security environment including occupation of Georgia’s territories,” he said, adding that the success of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in terms of visa liberalization are absolutely interrelated.
The Georgian PM also said that Georgia is not only a consumer of security but more importantly a provider
“We are part of the Afghanistan operation in the ‘Resolute Support’ mission, we are in crisis management operation in the Central African Republic, in Mali, and we are committed to being present everywhere the civilized world deems it important to engage in peacekeeping and making regions and countries stable,” he noted.
GLOBSEC is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that builds on the successful work done by the Slovak Atlantic Commission. Its main goal is to shape the global debate through conducting research activities and connecting key experts on foreign and security policy.
This year GLOBSEC took place on May 26-28 in Bratislava and gathered around 1000 participants from 70 countries including presidents and prime ministers, EU officials and experts in security issues.
Thea Morrison