Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili paid an official visit to Brussels on February 5.
PM Kvirikashvili is leading a delegation which participated in the Georgia-EU Association Council Meeting at the Council of the European Union today.
PM Kvirikashvili thanked the EU representatives for a 450 million Euro package which will be used for reforms in Georgia for 2017-2020.
PM Kvirikashvili attended a working breakfast hosted by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, the government administration says.
Mogherini stated at the EU council meeting that the European Union enjoys great relations with Georgia.
"Georgia and the EU enjoy great relations. I would like to welcome your success in Georgia's local self-government elections in line with international standards, as confirmed by OSCE ODIHR. We are appreciative of the Venice Commission's positive impressions about Georgia's constitutional reform," Mogherini emphasized, the Prime Minister’s press office reports.
The Prime Minister’s press office also said that during the meeting, special emphasis was placed on the intensification of trade and economic relations.
PM Kvirikashvili said that Georgia is thankful for the third phase of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) program, within which 77.5 million USD was given to Georgia for the development of agriculture.
Energy security was one of the main subjects of the council meeting. The Association Council reiterated Georgia's role as its key partner in Europe's energy security, and emphasized the country's transit potential in terms of providing Caspian energy to the European market, including via the Southern Gas Corridor. The Association Council welcomed the fact that the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation co-owns the company implementing the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.
Prime Minister Kvirikashvili stated that Georgia is looking forward to the further steps to deepening sectoral integration and getting closer to EU norms, strategies, and practices.
Regarding issues of Georgia’s territorial integrity, PM Kvirikashvili stated that “we appreciate the European Union’s firm support towards Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” which he said is shown through observation missions, the Geneva Talks, and more.
Special attention was paid to the importance of greater effectiveness in the Geneva Talks. The Association Council expressed its concern over the implementation of treaties between Russia and Georgia's occupied regions, over the establishment of customs stations in Akhalgori and Sokhumi, and the referendum on changing the name of the region in Tskhinvali.