Saakashvili:

I welcome my counterpart!

We have the great honour of receiving the president of Estonia and the Estonian delegation. We are always very happy to meet friends.

We are successfully cooperating with Estonia. Estonia is not only a close friend and partner; it is also a strong supporter of the reforms under way in Georgia. We must state that Estonia's support is very important for this region.

Since the day the embargo was imposed, we have used Estonia's experience as an example and said we would do the same that Estonia once did itself. We also look to Estonia as an example in terms of implementing reforms. We have close and emotional ties with Estonia. We will never forget the support that this country has expressed for Georgia and is expressing today as well.

Today we greeted the Estonian president in parliament with great fanfare. The majority of MPs were in attendance. We are always happy when a guest arrives in Georgia, but the main thing is the attitude of these guests towards Georgia.

We are shocked by the events which have been taking place over the past week in Estonia and the actions that are being taken in relation to that country.

Any attempt to create destabilization is unacceptable to us, as it undermines democratic transformation processes. We must never stand for this.

It is very important for us to protect the development and implementation of democratic processes in Estonia. We must support Estonia so that it successfully develops and forms a strong democratic society.

I am confident that all politicians and absolutely everyone support Estonia's independence, its sovereignty and the democratic processes under way there and wish that country success in the face of the recent events there. I am glad to have the chance to receive you here in Georgia.

We are grateful for the support your country has expressed for Georgia's integration with NATO. We also welcome the economic cooperation that is developing between our countries.

We will now move on to the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, were we will open a Georgian-Estonian business forum.

Thank you very much!

Press Office
of the President of Georgia