Georgia’s PM speaks at European Year for Development 2015

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has delivered a speech one of the high-level panel discussions of the European Year for Development 2015 in front of other world leaders and European Union (EU) officials.

Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker launched the event today in Riga, Latvia.

Before the conference started, officials from all over the globe held a moment of silence in respect of the victims of the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7.

When Georgia’s Prime Minister took to the podium within the second panel of the event, he spoke about good governance and the role of effective and responsible institutions in sustainable development of the countries.

At the beginning of his speech Garibashvili expressed gratitude toward Latvia for its firm and continuous support and assistance to Georgia as it strive to achieve its European future.

I would like to particularly mention Latvia’s invaluable efforts to further develop the Eastern Partnership initiative. The fact that strengthening the EU-Eastern Partnership cooperation is among the top priorities of the Latvian Presidency speaks for itself."

The European Union and Georgia

Georgia's Prime Minister emphasized that today Georgia was another world away from the country it was two decades ago and in this regard, the European Union (EU) has played a big role by assisting Georgia in terms of economic and social development, enhancing educational and cultural cooperation and strengthening the judicial system and human rights.

We have strengthened our democratic institutions and established stronger checks and balances. Our new constitution has decentralised executive power and created greater accountability at all levels of the Government. Our Parliament now functions as a true legislature. Laws are proposed, debate and amended," Garibashvili said.

The recently signed Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU was one of Georgia's most significant achievements of 2014, the Georgian leader said. 

The implementation of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which is a master plan for Georgia’s Europeanisation, will ultimately transform Georgia into a fully stable and functional pluralist democracy with effective checks and balances and strong democratic institutions.

This process will also open new prospects for Georgia to gradually integrate into the EU internal market and increase the country’s attractiveness for [foreign direct investments], which will bring modern technology and know-how, create new jobs and prospects for our citizens.

Political issues

Garibashvili noted the Georgian Government was undertaking a series of reforms to ensure a strong basis for inclusive growth.

"We recently adopted a national Social Economic Development Strategy, which sets out clear priorities for achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth ahead of 2020, he said.

He said Georgia had improved its position among post-Soviet countries to become one of the least corrupt countries in the world.

The World Justice Report 2014 Rule of Law Index found that Georgia is the strongest overall performer within Eastern Europe and Central Asia in regards to the rule of law as well as absence of corruption.

In his speech Garibashvili also mentioned that Georgia was among the first countries to adhere to the values of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) by joining the initiative in 2011. In August 2014,  OGP member states elected Georgia to the OGP Steering Committee, he noted.

The head of the Georgian Government also welcomed his country's process in setting and working to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals.

We support the proposal of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals on 17 new goals. We attach particular importance to Goal number 16 aimed at promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building elective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Economic issues

Georgia’s Prime Minister spoke highly of his country's progressive reforms implemented in various spheres to develop the economy.

These reforms have made Georgia a leader across international rankings such as the Index of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation (22nd place) or the index of Economic Freedom of the World by Fraser (16th place), Garibashvili said.

Furthermore, the Georgian Prime Minister highlighted that Georgia had benefitted greatly from global initiatives and was fully committed to the United Nations (UN) Development Agenda.

Moving to the post-2015 Development Agenda constitutes a major challenge and opportunity for the world in implementing effective policies aimed at sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. Georgia is committed to contribute to this process both at the national and international levels."

Breakaway regions

Garibashvili emphasized that Georgia's lost territories and breakaway regions remained a major challenge for the Georgian Government.

A key concern is the occupation of 20 percent of our territory and the consequent issues of internally displaced persons and refugees.

He added Georgia aimed to have a good relationship with all of its neighbours, "but not at the expense of our sovereignty and independence, which we fought so hard to achieve."

We have undertaken a number of constructive steps aimed at deescalating tensions with Russia but our efforts have not been met with the same spirit of cooperation. Now it is time for the Russian government to end its occupation [of Georgian territory], Garibashvili said.

He emphasized that peaceful resolution of conflict was "non-negotiable".

We are committed to the path of reconciliation and restoring Georgia's full territorial integrity by peaceful means and we will continue working to find a way for all our citizens, including our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers and sisters living on the other side of the artificial barriers, to participate in achieving our common goals.

The event at which he spoke - the European Year for Development 2015 - was dedicated to the development of international cooperation. Latvia’s presidency of the Council of the EU was a pivotal period for the new global development policy, as in 2015 the international community will have to agree on the new global development framework.