Hungary will ratify EU-Georgia Association Agreement by 2015

Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjarto has expressed his support to Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and promised Hungary will ratify the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA) by the end of this year.

Szijjarto, who is on an official visit to Tbilisi, reiterated Hungary’s commitment to back Georgia’s aspiration to integrate into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

"Hungary’s Parliament will ratify the EU-Georgia Association Agreement by 2015 and cooperate with Georgia on effective implementation of the AA agenda,” Szijjarto said at today’s joint press conference with Georgia’s acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Tamar Beruchashvili.

"We are very happy that Georgia is committed to this integration as well. The European Union’s enlargement process should be accelerated and strategic cooperation with countries like Georgia can give new dynamics to the European Union as well,” Szijjarto said.

Meanwhile, Beruchashvili emphasized that Georgia’s foreign policy course was "irreversible” as it was the historic choice of the Georgian people.

She also expressed the expectation that it could be possible for Georgian citizens to travel to EU countries visa free after the Eastern Partnership Summit (EaP) in Riga next spring.

Acting Foreign Minister Beruchashvili also confirmed that Hungary expressed concern about the Kremlin-proposed 'Alliance and Integration' treaty between Russia and Georgia's breakaway region, the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia.

The Hungarian official also met Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili today. After this meeting he said he was confident Hungary would spare no efforts to help Georgia become a member of the EU and NATO.

"It is in the interest of the European Union as the stability of the region is very important for us,” Szijjarto said.