Georgia FM: Visa Liberalization Will Provide Reward for Reforms

Novinite is publishing a statement by Georgia's Foreign Minister H.E. Tamar Beruchashvili ahead of the Riga Eastern Partnership Summit due on May 21-22, 2015.

Mrs Beruchashvili has called on EU leaders to give the green light to visa liberalization for Georgia in order to reaffirm recognition for the country's pro-active contribution "to European and international security".

"Removing visa requirements for Georgian citizens will mean more tourism, cultural and student exchanges, and civil society partnerships. This will help develop Georgia and anchor the next generations firmly within the European family of nations," Mrs Beruchashvili argues. She also adds that for Georgians, "visa liberalisation will provide a long-awaited tangible reward for reforms and encourage renewed efforts." 

The full text reads as follows:  

When the leaders of 34 countries meet on 21-22 May for the Riga Eastern Partnership Summit, we will be confronting geopolitical realities which are dramatically different from those which framed our last gathering. Already in Vilnius in November 2013, the Russian Federation posed a serious challenge to basic principles of international law and praxis, including the sovereign right of nations to decide their own future. But since then, Moscow has gone much further in its aggressive attempts to tear down the very fundamentals of the European security architecture.

For the EU as for the partner countries, including Georgia, this Summit will therefore be critical. We must make sure it delivers a strong message of joint commitment to the European future of our region, and backs this up with concrete measures to realise this vision. The progress towards visa liberalisation...