Greetings!
The agreement regarding the beginning of negotiations of the DCFTA between the European Union and Georgia was finally signed and declared in Brussels today.
This is a very important political stage for our country.
I think we will need a certain amount of time before signing this agreement – months and years. We will need several years.
This means that investors will have an opportunity to open many facilities here and employ people.
No matter what kinds of problems the European market is currently experiencing, Europe is an extremely attractive alternative for our economy in terms of its level of development.
So, this is a huge step forward, which is a result of the right reforms in Georgia.
I hope to start negotiations regarding visa free travel in spring. Moreover, the process of acquiring a EU visa is already simplified for the citizens of Georgia.
The most important thing that happened is the fact that Europe has turned back to Georgia in terms of common psychology.
When we displayed the flag of the EU during the inauguration in 2004, everyone had a cynical reaction.
Some think that it is impossible for Georgia to get close to the EU, but this organization was truly ideal for us. We were saying that this is our system and we want to build a European Democracy in Georgia.
We could not imagine that, for example, the EU would ever accept Georgia as its member. I remember that back then most of the Europeans said that Georgia is not part of Europe; it is another development, another space, another sphere of influence.
If anyone said before this year that the issue of Georgia becoming a member of the EU was going to become a actual topic, I would say that this is a desirable idea but it is not realistic.
I keep hearing the same message at every recent summit and meeting: “Georgia will become a member of the EU.”
Nicolas Sarkozy said this during his historic address. This address was historic, because France is one of the countries that shape the future of the European Union.
Nicolas Sarkozy repeated these words and motivation in Marseilles, at the Congress of the European Peoples Party, which was attended by important leaders of the EU. He stated that Georgia will definitely become a member of the EU.
By the way, other European leaders, including the Prime Minister of Poland, keep repeating this.
It was established in the EU, in Brussels, that Georgia should have not only free trade and free visa travel with the EU, but it must become a part of this political-economic union.
This is an incredible geopolitical turn of events for Georgia.
This is the beginning of the dream of centuries come true for our nation.
This is the purpose for which people lived in Georgia for decades and hundreds of years and unfortunately none of them lived to see this goal reached.
We have been given a chance to decide this issue irreversibly; our generation, this political group, today’s diplomacy.
This is truly a great chance for every one of us.
This means that not only hasn't Georgia’s position been weakened after the war in 2008, but the isolation of Georgia did not happen either, which our conqueror was trying to facilitate (they used all resources to discredit and weaken Georgia, to dig a hole underneath us and weaken our position to the outside) but they ended up causing a completely different effect.
All of this is a result of the fact that during last 3-4 years, despite all of the obstacles, we have been developing, rising, implementing reforms, and becoming an example for the entire region.
The fact that a new mentality about us has been facilitated in Europe is the merit of this process.
That is why, not only have we reached the next diplomatic victory today, but this is also very important and decisive in terms of our existence and a defining political process. It is the beginning of a historic dream of our nation come true.
We have to keep working harder in this sense.