Georgian President is confident that his country will join the EU
Speaking before the opening of the concert dedicated to the Europe Day at the State Theater of Opera and Ballet in Tbilisi, President Giorgi Margvelashvili stated that Georgia is taking steps in the direction of European integration, and that the forthcoming elections will be held in accordance with European standards, RBC reported.
“Georgia became independent 25 years ago but we are still taking steps in order to become free. We need to build our values to belong to European society. We need to build society, which will be based on the values of freedom,” Margvelashvili stated.
He noted that freedom means the existence of one’s own views and values and the simultaneous acceptance of other opinions.
“That’s how we have lived for many centuries, we created such culture and now we need this culture to develop into national system,” the President noted. According to Margvelashvili, Georgian society and political leadership are taking decisive steps in the direction of European integration.
“Our agreements and political processes that are under way in Georgia demonstrate this. The elections that will be held this year according to European standards will prove this. In addition, the population of Georgia is actively involved preparing for the elections,” the President of Georgia said.
“I’m sure that Georgia will become a member of the European Union,” Margvelashvili concluded.
In early May, the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, expressed hope that citizens of Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo will be able to travel visa-free to the European Union in 2016. Hahn recalled that Georgia and Ukraine have already received recommendations on the establishment of visa-free regimes.
“I think that there should be a joint decision in relation to at least three countries and maybe Turkey,” the European Commissioner stated.
If the European Parliament and the EU Council approve the proposal, Georgians who have biometric passports,will not have to obtain visas during tourist, family or business trips to the Schengen area for a period of up to 90 days. Georgian citizens will still require authorization to work in the EU.