President Margvelashvili on the Vilnius Summit, Russia, economy, and future plans

"The following year is a very active year of cooperation and Europe will have more time for us, - the Georgian President GiorgiMargvelashvili said in his very first interview after the Vilnius Summit which he gave to the private broadcaster Rustavi 2.

"Georgia has become one of the most interesting countries of Europe however I would not say EU was not interested in us before. They are not going to lose us because they are our choice. I hope they will be more helpful to us, - Margvelashvili said.

According to the President, during the meetings in framework of the Vilnius Summit last week, it was always underlined that during the following year, Georgia has to become more European at home.

"The Summit was very fruitful for me. I was witnessing the formation of the European policy. This was a very interesting and at the same time promising process in which the European politicians were shaping their approach to the events taking place in Ukraine, to the issue whether how the European policy has to go on and what accents it has to have, - Margvelashvili said.

Margvelashvili, whose first official visit abroad as the President of Georgia, was to attend the Vilnius Summit, and believes that signing the Association Agreement with EU will ensure defending Georgias integrity. He said barbed wires cannot be of strategic importance in modern world since this is the wires emerged between people and thats why Russia is establishing them to avoid the interest of the people in South Ossetia and Abkhazia; to prevent them from crossing the border and trading, having personal relations, get medical service. Margvelashvili promised that in the near future the population of the occupied territories will have passports which will give them possibility to travel to EU cities visa free. The President of Georgia believes that this will be more interesting for them than getting closed in by the barbed wire.

"Russia has exhausted its negative resources towards Georgia and now there is a new positive resource such as extensive trade, however this is not going to put into question Georgias political freedom. We have to diversify all our markets. Even if we increase our trade with Russia to the maximum it is not going to have such a scale that cause destabilization if stopped, President explained adding Georgia has not to take an isolationist position but to be willing to trade with Russia as much as possible.

In addition to this, Margvelashvili says the agreement is important in terms of economic issues since it will ensure attraction of more investments, modernization of Georgias yet weak economy, and more involvement on the European market which opens if the goods are produced in Georgia. "This causes a great interest. This means modernization for our entrepreneurship since Europe is going to support us in this sense, Margvelashvili added. As for his future plans, the President said that he is going to visit the US and considers this visit as strategically important.

"This does not have to be a visit, just to visit. We have a wonderful Partnership Charter signed with the US, as well as statement of the President Obama regarding the possibility of signing a free trade agreement. In the light of our aspirations towards EU and our efforts to improve our production, those opportunities are becoming realistic. Consequently, I want my visits to be based on these issues and to lead them to the operational level will take some time, Margvelashvili explained further. Also, according to him, next year in the autumn, Georgias future is expected to be seriously considered by the allies at the NATO Summit.

"This is not going to be an expanding summit but Georgia will have a very important mandate there, Margvelashvili said explaining that Georgia, a small country which is boldly and courageously supporting NATO in its operations, will have significant positions for the summit.