Georgia contributes to pre-Eastern Partnership 2015 Summit meeting

Georgia’s Foreign Minister is taking part in the fourth meeting of the Eastern Partnership informal dialogue in Baku, Azerbaijan, in which preparations for next year’s Eastern Partnership Summit are being discussed.

Georgia was represented at today’s meeting by a Foreign Ministry delegation, led by Minister Maia Panjikidze. Other Eastern Partnership countries were represented by high-level delegations, as was the European Union, which included a team involving European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, Deputy Secretary General for the External Action Service Helga Schmid, European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger

Meeting participants discussed plans for the 2015 Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, with the focus particularly drawn to regional challenges and the importance of the Eastern Partnership’s further development.

Minister Panjikidze delivered a speech at the meeting and spoke about the issues Georgia faced while implementing the Association Agreeent (AA) it signed with the EU earlier this year. She also mentioned the Georgian Government’s preparation plans regarding the Riga summit.

The Georgian Minister believed today’s meeting was an important occasion that allowed all participants the opportunity to better prepare for the summit and discuss existing challenges and means to achieve goals.

The Eastern Partnership informal dialogue also included a section that discussed energy issues – Georgia’s Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze participated in this aspect of the meeting.

Meanwhile within the Baku visit, Georgia’s Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet with members of the Azerbaijani Government.