Georgia is a European country, says European Parliament

"Today is a historical day for Georgia but also for the European Union”, said Vice President of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki today before officials ratified the European Union-Georgia Association Agreement (AA).

Czarnceki spoke at a press-conference with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Latvian MEP and rapporteur on Georgia Andrejs Mamikins.

"I welcome you Mr President to this exceptional and special press conference. Today is a historical day for Georgia but also especially for the European Union. Today’s agreement is really an important step forward in our bilateral relations. I am extremely happy that we can say today that we are really together,” he said.

"I think finally that today’s voting is not the end of our very close cooperation but from tomorrow we should work harder and I think more effectively for our collaboration,” Czarnceki noted.

He thanked President Margvelashvili and all politicians who took part in the process, as well as the Georgian nation as a whole.

In response Margvelashvili expressed immense happiness for today’s event and said this was Georgia’s future and another step towards becoming a European nation.

"Today is an exceptional and very important day for my nation. We are furthering our steps into the European family of nations," he said.

See video of the joint press-conference of Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Vice President of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki and Latvian MEP and rapporteur on Georgia Andrejs Mamikins below.

"The steps that culturally and emotionally have been done by my people by many generations before, but politically those steps have been done since Georgia’s independence, and since our independence all the leaders of my country, starting with the first President Gamsakhurdia, furthering with Shevardnadze, Saakashvili as well as our leadership, we are very much committed and dedicated that those steps will be continued and they will lead us finally to the ultimate goal to become a fully flagged member of the European family of nations of the EU,” said Giorgi Margvelashvili.

"We have been working in this direction and there were lots of complications that our people had to overcome. But we enjoyed great partnerships with our friends and I want to thank all the leaders from Europe that have been supporting us, who have been creating and crafting special formats with which Georgia and other countries, especially the countries of the Eastern Partnership, have been given the avenue of partnering with our European friends,” the President announced.

Margvelashvili said that with the new agreement Georgia would gain new tools and reforms, as well as new opportunities for integration into European structures. He was adamant that through this deal Europe was gaining a "very trustworthy” and "partnership-oriented” country in the region.

This country is dedicated to the same values [as Europe] and is dedicated to furthering peace, stability and security in the Caucasus region and beyond. Georgia plays a very important role in the crossroads of Europe and Asia. We are going to play the same role now from the perspective of being a European country.”

In his speech Margvelashvili also commented on the resolution about Georgia that was adopted before the ratification of the AA.

"This resolution has very important issues discussed in it, especially the issues that link with our territorial integrity and sovereignty."

"Georgia’s status on the occupied territories have suffered for two months when a special agreement was developed by the Russian Federation with the so-called Abkhazian Republic and we are thankful to our European partners that have reflected this issue in the resolution. This is very important for keeping peace, stability and humanitarian values in our country,” he said.

Photo by President Margvelashvili's Press office. 

Latvia’s Mamkins also spoke at the press conference and congratulated Georgia on "the most important event” for Georgia in its modern history.

"This is a historical day in the modern history of Georgia and I want to say that this is a very important event in the past 20 years in the Georgian history.

"A very good job has been done by Georgian authorities and I hope after the AA between Georgia and European Parliament, we can start our negotiations with Georgia about a free visa regime and possibly in the future also about full membership of Georgia into the European Union, because as you know, the philosophy of the EU is enlargement and of course Georgia is a European country and a cradle of European civilization,” he said.