Georgia’s EU-Atlantic integration “opportunity, not threat” for Europe - Polish FM

Zbigniew Rau, the Polish Foreign Minister, on Thursday said Georgia’s integration into the European Union and NATO was in the interests of all sides in the partnership and stressed it as an “opportunity, not threat” for Europe and its security. 

Speaking at a press briefing with his Georgian counterpart Ilia Darchiashvili in Tbilisi, the visitng official called for joint efforts from the EU and NATO, the Georgian authorities and citizens to facilitate the country’s accession. 

Rau highlighted recent and forthcoming visits of top diplomats and officials from member states of the two blocs were “elements and the expression of intensive diplomatic and political communication” ahead of the alliance’s Vilnius Summit in July and the EU decision on whether to grant Georgia its membership candidate status by the end of this year. 

The purpose [of these visits] is to discuss challenges, problems and opportunities, as well as ways to resolve problems. Poland's involvement in the process is to facilitate finding solutions, in the spirit of traditional Georgian-Polish friendship", said the FM. 

The Polish official, who arrived in Tbilisi late on Wednesday, met with the country’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and President and pledged his country’s “unwavering support” for Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. 

Rau is scheduled to leave the country on Friday.