Reuters: Georgia says Russian pressure will not divert it from EU goal

Georgia’s Prime Minister has his sights set on EU membership, joining NATO while keeping a close eye on the unfortunate events in Ukraine, stated an article published on the Reuters website.

The article, based on the interview between journalist Adrian Croft and PM Irakli Garibashvili during his official visit in Brussels, is titled Georgia says Russian pressure will not divert it from EU goal.

Croft stated the EU's policy of strengthening ties with ex-Soviet states suffered a setback in November when Ukraine, under pressure from Russia, declined to sign a planned trade accord with the EU, opting for closer ties with Moscow instead.

Armenia was named as another example where a setback occurred, when it chose to join a customs union led by Moscow rather than set closer ties with the EU. Accordingly, the article revealed Georgia and Moldova are the only two former Soviet states currently continuing to pursue free trade agreements with the EU.

"Some EU officials fear those countries could still come under pressure from Russia to change their minds in the months before the agreements are signed,” Croft wrote. Garibashvili admitted to Reuters he had heard several concerns about the potential risks and threats or pressure coming from Russia before the agreement is signed.

"We heard many times that they compare Ukraine to Georgia. Well, Ukraine is a different story, it is an absolutely different story," Garibashvili said. He said the fact that Georgia was situated on a crucial oil and gas transit route from the Caspian Sea to Europe is what made the country less dependent on Russia than Ukraine, and Moscow's leverage was "not as great”.

However, Garibashvili mentioned that Russia had already exerted some pressure by installing barbed-wire fences on the border of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.

As for the events in Ukraine, Garibashvili told Reuters Georgia was extremely concerned about the ongoing situation. He supposed that Ukraine's tilt towards Russia should lead to Europe speeding up the process of integrating Georgia with the EU.

Garibashvili stated in the interview he had discussed with EU leaders about how to intensify economic cooperation before and after signing of the free trade agreement. The Georgian PM believed that would be a stepping stone to Georgia's goal.

Garibashvili also revealed his future plans to Reuters. He said he would hold a conference for potential investors in June and that national economy was going to expand by 5-6 percent in the current year.

In the interview he also stated joining the Western military alliance remained a priority for Georgia.