European Council President: “Georgia is one of the frontrunners of the EaP”

"Georgia is one of the frontrunners of the Eastern Partnership. This is not a compliment, but a fact,” said European Council President Donald Tusk after his meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili.

The Georgian PM’s meeting with President Tusk in Brussels, Belguim, will be one of many for the Georgian official – while visiting the European Council Garibashvili is scheduled to attend several meetings with the new leaders of the European Union (EU).

Georgia’s implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA), which was signed in June 2014, was the main topic discussed at today’s meeting. The President of the European Council praised the visa liberalisation progress between Georgia and the EU.

"We discussed visa liberalisation. We are making good progress on this. We are now awaiting the results and recommendations of the ongoing expert missions. And I hope that at our next meeting in Riga, we can be successful in this context,” said Tusk, in a press statement after the meeting.

The Georgian PM stressed European integration was the choice of the Georgian nation and the Government’s final goal was not only successful implementation of the agreement with the EU.

"Georgia has an ambition to become a success story in the region and demonstrate the transformative power of European integration. I would like to underline that the Association Agreement does not constitute the end-point of our relations with the EU but it paves the way towards the future progressive development of EU-Georgia cooperation,” Garibashvili said.

"The major focus of the Georgian Government is to demonstrate to the Georgian citizens that the European agenda delivers,” he noted.

From the European Council perspective, Tusk emphasized several fields where successful reforms will be key points for Georgia’s implementation of the AA.

"The time has come for Georgia to substantially advance its reform agenda in vital areas such as the rule of law and the judiciary, including the creation of an independent prosecutor's office. Fostering a political climate of respect and cross-party dialogue is another area where I have encouraged progress,” Tusk stressed.

Regional security was also at the forefront of the meeting, held at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Georgia’s Prime Minister assessed the situation in Ukraine as the continuation of Russian aggression towards Georgia in 2008.

"The current crisis in Ukraine is a matter of great concern and heavily aggravates the security situation on the European continent. It is the continuation of Russia’s aggressive policy against its neighbours, which started with the August war of 2008 against Georgia,” Garibashvili said.

In return, Tusk reconfirmed "EU supports Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders”.

"We continue to closely follow the implications of the treaty that was recently signed between the Abkhazian de facto authorities and the Russian Federation. This agreement violates Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also contradicts the principles of international law and Russia's international commitments,” stated Tusk.

The Press Office of the Georgia’s Prime Minister released a statement noting Tusk will probably visit Georgia before the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May 2015.