The FINANCIAL — On 5 February, the EU-Georgia Association Council took place in Brussels. Both partners took stock of the progress made on the Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU.
Following her meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini described relations between Georgia and the EU as “excellent” and said the partnership “is working perfectly well”.
“The last time we met for the Association Council, as I mentioned, we were still hoping for Georgia to achieve visa liberalisation. We were more than hoping for that, we were actually working hard for that and we achieved the result,” Mogherini said.
“Now, more than 170,000 Georgian citizens have enjoyed visa free travel to the Schengen area. The implementation of all commitments linked to our agreement is also proceeding well, as reported in December by the European Commission.”
Mogherini also confirmed that more Georgian products are being bought and enjoyed by EU citizens, adding that in the first nine months of 2017, Georgian exports to the European Union grew by 37%. “This shows that our Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area is really having a big impact and as your [Georgian] government continues to implement reforms, the benefits are going to become even more important, also in terms of job creation and trading opportunities,” she added.
In her statement, the EU High Representative acknowledged that both the EU and Georgia have been doing more and more together to communicate the positive impact of their partnership, which is making a difference to people, according to the EU Neighbours portal.
“Georgia is a valued, precious partner for the European Union and we believe it is our shared interest to continue to invest in our friendship, as we have done with good results so far,” Mogherini concluded.
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