Lithuania ratifies Georgia’s EU association deal

Parliament of Lithuania has ratified Association Agreements (AA) of the European Union (EU) with Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite announced the news on her Twitter page earlier today.

"LTU Parliament has just ratified EU AA with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine! Best wishes to these countries on their European way!,” she wrote.

The AA deals were signed by the three countries and EU representatives in Brussels on June 27.

"The EU Association Agreements with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova is the most reliable instrument for the transformation and modernization of these countries,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius said before the ratification.

"To use it effectively we have to ratify the agreements as soon as possible. I am delighted that Lithuania succeeded to begin this procedure so soon.”

Lithuanian opposition leader Andrius Kubilius proposed to allocate money from the country’s budget to finance education in Lithuania for Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan students.

EU association deals need to be ratified by all 28 EU countries before they can be fully implemented.