Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova discuss how to make the Eastern Partnership 'more effective'
The Eastern Partnership Summit will be held in Brussels in March 2021. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
Earlier today Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan Foreign Ministers David Zalkaliani, Dmytro Kuleba and Aureliu Ciocoi have pledged to strengthen cooperation on the path to EU integration at a virtual meeting ahead of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit.
FM Zalkaliani has tweeted:
Participated in online meeting along W my colleagues @AureliuCiocoi & @DmytroKuleba. Discussed ways 4 enhancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest & importance of joint efforts on path of #European integration. Focused on upcoming #EaP Summit 2021. pic.twitter.com/k5VMTPJFIG
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) January 14, 2021
All of the three FMs agreed on 'the need to step up efforts to promote common positions and approaches' through dialogue with the European institutions and with EU member states, the Moldovan foreign ministry reported.
FM Kuleba has meanwhile tweeted:
Excellent VTC call today with Georgia’s @DZalkaliani & Moldova’s @AureliuCiocoi. Ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit this year, our Associated Trio ???????????????????????? shares a joint vision on how to make the EaP more effective both for the EU & its three most ambitious Eastern partners. pic.twitter.com/maogG0Vhom
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) January 14, 2021
EaP is a joint initiative involving the EU, its member states and six Eastern European partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
"These are very difficult times not only for the EU, but for our partner countries as well. We are doing all we can to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on human lives and livelihoods. We are responding both to the immediate needs of the health systems, as well as longer term needs to the most vulnerable groups in society and small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the economies in the six countries,” Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said.
The European Commission has put forward a proposal for the long-term policy objectives of the Eastern Partnership beyond 2020 to increase trade, strengthen connectivity and deepen the economic integration with Eastern Partnership countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in Tbilisi earlier today, where he said that Georgia is a leader state in the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative and the country’s cooperation with NATO is exceptional. Szijjarto praised the reforms carried out by the Georgian government and the country’s successful fight against the coronavirus.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution in the run up to the June 19 Eastern Partnership Summit, providing recommendations to the European Council, Commission, vice president of the European Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Eastern Partnership.
Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan foreign ministers have sent a joint letter to EU officials in which they requested deeper cooperation between their countries and the EU.
Georgian Foreign minister David Zalkaliani will pay a two-day official visit to Kiev, Ukraine on May 16-17. During the visit he will also participate in a foreign ministerial meeting with his Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts.
“The Associated Trio will work together on common interests for European integration, including the implementation of Association Agreements with the EU and the further development of the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative. Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova will work together to strengthen political and economic dialogue and sectoral integration with the EU,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry has reported.
The Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan foreign ministers will meet with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles today in Brussels to discuss further cooperation between the EU and its three associated members within the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative (EaP) format.