Georgia vows to keep seeking EU, NATO membership

TALLINN. Jan 31 (Interfax) – Georgia’s foreign minister made assurances on Wednesday that her country would stick to its policy of seeking membership in the European Union and NATO.

“Both for Estonia and for Georgia, joining the European Union is primarily a security issue, but, of course, it would help revise the Georgian economy as well,” an Estonian government statement that was made available to Interfax quoted Maia Panjikidze as saying during a meeting in Tallinn with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.

However, “it is not just for the sake of accession (to the EU and NATO) that we are carrying out our reforms – through reforms we want to develop our country and solve problems that exist in it,” Panjikidze said.

Ansip expressed hope that “one day Estonia and Georgia will be acting jointly both at the level of the European Union and at that of NATO because Estonia supports the open doors policy in both organizations.”

“We will definitely continue to support Georgia in its westward integration,” he said.

Ansip said Estonia was willing to share its experience in carrying out reforms. “It is important that your domestic development should be stable and enable you to go on with the necessary reforms,” he said.

Panjikidze promised that this year’s presidential election in Georgia would be “organized in the best way Georgia has seen.”