Mikheil Saakashvili
Greetings everyone!
We are glad that the European Union’s High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Vice President of the European Commission – Baroness Catherine Ashton is visiting Georgia for the second time. During her first visit we began negotiations regarding the association treaty. Since then, Georgia has made tremendous progress towards the European Union.
You are aware that we are getting closer to the beginning of negotiations regarding comprehensive free trade with the European Union, which is very important for the economy of Georgia. We know what kind of economic problems Europe is facing right now, but at the same time, taking Georgian production to the European market is a significant step for the future economic growth of our country and prosperity of our people. We hope to begin the negotiations within the next few weeks.
By the way, one of our larger programs within the scope of the 2015 Modernization Plan, and we hope this will happen earlier, is to finish negotiations in several years and to have absolutely free trade relations, including the European Union. The second most important issue is the existence of the visa free movement for the citizens of Georgia within the EU. We currently have a simplified visa movement with the EU, which means that for students, scientists, and people going to the Schengen zone for business trips, it will be very simple to acquire a visa and to travel. Our main goal is to give an opportunity to every citizen of Georgia to enter the EU member countries without a visa. It is easy for us, because we have a readmission agreement with the European Union. I would also like to remind you that during recent years, more people are returning to Georgia than leaving. That is why, when we have a visa-free regime, we do not expect Georgians to go to the EU and for Georgia to become empty like what has happened in many new member states of the EU. I think in our case, this will just create an opportunity for our people to travel and to have a wider reach, but Georgians have a tendency to always come back home, because they prefer our country to the entire world, including the countries of the European Union. However, at the same time I would like to mention that we are an inseparable part of Europe.
Aside from this, it is important that the President of France – Nicolas Sarkozy, who was visiting the Georgian people recently, supported us in the process of integrating into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is of course an institutional process.
We are already formal candidates of European Union and NATO membership. This statement was made during the Bucharest Summit. The European Union has not yet made such a statement. We most often hear that Georgia will inevitably become the member of the EU in the future. However, our people and especially me, who are looking forward to this fact, keep asking such questions as: when will you let us into this body? Why are you making us nervous and making us wait? If you are saying that the door is open then let us in! But of course this is not that easy. 3-4 years ago nobody in the world said that Georgia should become a member of NATO. It was a figment of our imagination that we would get so close to this organization and integrate into it. This is yet the beginning of the process. This process itself gives us more guarantees in terms of development and security. We should understand this well, because when you are a country, which is integrating so quickly, the chance for destabilization, conquering and vanishing from the map becomes more difficult. This process has a special meaning and undervaluing it would be a big mistake from our side.
We thank Catherine Ashton because she really has done a lot for Georgia. We are also grateful for the non-recognition policy that the EU is severely administering regarding the occupied territories. European Parliament will vote tomorrow on the resolution, the main part of which is specifically about Georgia; namely it is related to the establishment of the term “occupation” in the political dictionary of Europe.
This is a very important resolution, which has made a lot of noise. This resolution is our tomorrow and we are all expecting it, and it is important whether it will have support and whether there will be logic, common sense and reality in it, which the European institutions demand.
Catherine Ashton
First of all thank you so much for your hospitality, today. Indeed it is my second visit to Tbilisi and it is a great pleasure to meet you again. We closely meet in other places, but it is a special pleasure to be able to be here.
I want to begin with the issues of trade and as you said Mr. President it is enormously important to the people of Georgia, but also enormously important for people of the European Union. I am extremely pleased as a former trade commissioner to see how much progress has been made. You were quite right in the expectations we have as we’ll be able to move forward very quickly in the next few weeks and by Christmas to be able to show that progress, which I know you have worked so hard for and which we were very pleased to see coming into being.
In regards to trade, I want to pay tribute to you and the people of Georgia for the way which we have negotiated your position in Russia’s exaction for the world trade organization. You have put a huge amount of effort forth and I congratulate you for the way in which you have done this. I think it will be to your benefit too and of course from the perspective of the European Union being able to see Russia’s part in WTO opens up opportunities for us to develop trade relations that would be of great benefit for us all.
You are right about the visas and the value of our work towards making traveling easier to access for students, for business people and opportunities to engage more affectively together. And I know that you are pleased to learn today of the progress that has been made. In the spring we will see the technical discussions finally come to an end, I hope. And again we will see significant progress in the next few months. I know that the commissioner responsible for this and I are particularly pleased to see this happening.
So these are good times for you and me to meet, when the key issues in our relationship are being addressed and are moving forward. But we also meet, as always, to talk about cooperation and what we can accomplish together about our common interests in the issues not only affecting our neighborhood but across the world. I am pleased to have a chance today to talk to you and the Foreign Minister on those issues as well.
So as I began Mr. President it is a great pleasure to be here and to see you.