PM believes Europe is the only way for Georgia

Uniting with the European Union is irreversible and the only possible outcome for Georgia, and the country has more power than Ukraine to withstand pressure from Russia, said Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in an interview with Agency France Press (AFP).

"Georgia strives to sign the Association Agreement as soon as possible, before August of this year if possible,” Garibashvili told the news agency yesterday.

"Europe is the only possible way for our country. This is choice of the Government and our people,” Garibashvili noted citing a recent survey where 85% of Georgians supported reconciliation process with the EU, AFP reported.

"We know that Europe is the best place in the world,” Garibashvili added.

Georgia’s 31-year-old Prime-Minister, who was appointed to the position in November, said Georgia was less susceptible to pressure from Russia than Ukraine, AFP reported.

"Georgia is less dependent on Russia than on Ukraine because Russia has more economic and political leverages on them,” Garibashvili said.

Garibashvili is currently of official duties in Brussels and has met with the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

During his meeting with the President of the European Council, Van Rompuy reaffirmed Georgia continued to have the support of the EU in terms of maintaining "the territorial integrity of Georgia" and "concern" for the construction of barbed wire fences by Russian troops near the occupation line, the article stated.

AFP also reported that Georgia and Russia have had no formal diplomatic relations since the August 2008 conflict, and Moscow's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgian territories.

Georgia, together with Moldova, are the only two countries of the former Soviet block to have initialed the Association Agreement at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November, after the sudden withdrawal of Ukraine. This agreement must be legally finalized before being formally signed, AFP stated.