REPRESENTATIVES FROM LITHUANIAN AND GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTRIES DISCUSSED THE EU-GEORGIA NEGOTIATIONS ON ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT
On 12 November in Vilnius, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Tornike Gordadze discussed the negotiations between the European Union and Georgia regarding the Association Agreement, as well as the preparations for the Summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The EU launched negotiations on Association Agreement with Georgia this July. The agreement will cover cooperation in a wide range of areas, including political dialogue, trade, social, cultural and security matters.Vice-Minister A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė and Deputy Minister T.Gordadze discussed Georgia’s readiness to open negotiations for a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU. This document would be an essential element of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and would allow creating a stable, secure and mutually beneficial commercial business environment.
The Deputy Minister of Georgia highly evaluated the support provided by Lithuanian experts, who come to Georgia under the EU’s Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Programme to help achieving the standards for the opening of the negotiations on the free trade agreement.
Priorities of Lithuania’s OSCE chairmanship in 2011 were presented at the meeting. The interlocutors also discussed the preparations for the upcoming OSCE Summit of Heads of State or Government that will take place in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, on 1-2 December.
Vice-Minister A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė assured that Lithuania supported Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and highlighted the importance of the implementation of the Annual National Programme, which provided the framework for cooperation between NATO and Georgia.
The Vice-Minister announced to T.Gordadze that as of 1 January 2011 the Lithuanian Embassy in Tbilisi would perform the duties of NATO contact point embassy in Georgia for the period of two years.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia came to Vilnius in order to attend the development cooperation conference “Road to Successful Transition in Afghanistan, Province by Province” in Vilnius, which focused on development cooperation activities in Afghanistan and issues of support for reforms in this country during the transitional period.
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