EU Commissioner Hahn set to visit Georgia
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European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who is in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, will visit Georgia this month.
Hahn will arrive in Georgian capital Tbilisi on January 15 and will hold meetings with Georgian high officials during his two-day stay here.
The upcoming visit was announced when Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gigi Gigiadze met Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Georgia Yanosh Herman in Tbilisi yesterday.
The pair discussed the priority areas of EU-Georgia co-operation. Special emphasis was put on the details of Hahn’s visit to Georgia on 15-17 January.
Gigiadze and Herman agreed to actively co-operate with a view to ensuring successful and fruitful visit of the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations to Georgia.
EU-Georgia relations dated back to 1992, shortly after Georgia declared its sovereignty following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Bilateral relations have further intensified since 2003, as consecutive governments have undertaken ambitious programmes of political and economic reforms.
In June 2014 the EU and Georgia signed an unprecedented Association Agreement, which included a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA). The Agreement significantly deepened political and economic ties with the EU in the framework of the Eastern Partnership.
Hahn believed Georgia was one of the frontrunners of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Policy (EaP).
The European Union (EU) will allocate €30 million (73 million GEL) to Georgia to assist the country’s regional development.
"The partnership between the European Union and Georgia is a strong one and it will become even stronger in the coming years as we implement the agreement for the benefit of Georgia and the EU,” said High Representative Federica Mogherini following the important meeting.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is attending the first meeting of the European Union (EU)-Georgia Association Council in Brussels today.
Will Georgia be granted a visa free regime with the European Union (EU) at the Riga Summit in May? The outcome is still unclear, as the EU noted it was waiting for an evaluation by European experts before it will make a final decision.