EaP ministerial to highlight Tbilisi’s “keen interest” in continued engagement - FM

Ilia Darchiashvili, the Georgian Foreign Minister, on Monday said the ministerial meeting of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership initiative later today would stress Tbilisi’s "keen interest" in maintaining “active participation” in the format.

Addressing the press, the official highlighted the EaP had provided the “necessary mechanisms to strengthen and expedite our European integration" since its inception in 2009 with the inclusion of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

He pointed out connectivity had “consistently been a primary component” of the initiative, extending beyond political association and integration into the European family and the EU. 

The Minister specifically mentioned initiatives such as the Black Sea submarine power cable project - intended to connect the electricity grids of the South Caucasus and EU member states - and a number of transport initiatives designed to bring participating countries closer to the “European community”.

He also asserted the EaP served as a platform for discussing "essential and vital projects for integration".

Darchiashvili also outlined the “significant progress” made by the Georgian Government in EU integration and stressed the country's reform efforts were “not in question” among its partners, giving the Georgian authorities "renewed strength and momentum" to continue reforms for the country's further integration into the bloc.

The official further stressed Georgia’s European integration was “directly linked” to the implementation of the reforms, and underscored the importance of Tbilisi obtaining the EU membership candidate status this week in the European Council’s "vitally important" decision, which he said would ensure Georgia’s transition to a new phase in its EU path and commencement of accession talks.