Wall Street Journal: Georgia sets sights on EU membership

Russia cannot prevent Georgia from uniting with the European Union as it does not have political and economic leverage over Georgia.

This was the recurring theme of a Wall Street Journal interview with Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

The article, titled 'Georgia Will Stay the Course on Europe, Prime Minister Vows', focused on EU-Georgia relations and compared it with the Ukrainian situation.

"Georgia's European choice and Georgia's European integration is already irreversible," Garibashvili said in the interview.

"We're not only thinking about signing the Association Agreement, our ultimate goal is to become a member of Europe."

Journalist Naftali Bendavid stated that Ukraine and Armenia gave similar assurances before Russian pressured them to reverse their intended course. Bendavid also stressed that some in the EU feared Georgia might face the same pressure following the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 6-23, when Russia would have less need to burnish its international image.

In response to this, Garibashvili said Russia had fewer tools to use against his country, compared, for example, with the trade measures faced by Ukraine.

The journalist highlighted the EU’s support toward Georgia.

EU leaders will convene an investment conference in Brussels in June to encourage businesses to put money into the country, he said.

"Decisions by Georgia and Moldova to move closer to the EU would allow the block to claim some successes in its outreach to former Soviet-bloc countries,” the article stated.

The second half of the article was devoted to the relationship between PM Garibashvili and his predecessor Bidzina Ivanishvili, who voluntarily stepped down last November saying he wanted to wean Georgia off a messianic style of politics dominated by powerful figures.

Garibashvili denied that Ivanishvhili remained a power behind the scenes.

"I am running this country," he said.

"If you ask me whether I take advice from him — yes. When I need advice, I may ask him for advice. But it is advice I may take from other experts, from other advisers, as well."