The European Union cannot lose Georgia, disappoint the Georgian people again and give Russia an easy place to play, – Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said in an interview with CNN.
“I think we have great chances to join the European Union, and the paths towards the European Union and NATO run parallel. Georgia was very active in relations with NATO, and was an active member of the NATO missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Georgia had NATO exercises during these years, even though we had occupied territories.
“So our connection with NATO is very close, but today the EU path seems closer because Ukraine actually accelerated the path of EU integration for the Associated Trio and probably others (the Balkans) as well. As for NATO, the central topic at the next summit will be Ukraine, we all know that, and there will be security guarantees for Ukraine, I don’t know what type, but that’s to be expected. This is what Ukraine deserves today, and there is no competition in any form, and any progress of Ukraine will definitely be beneficial for Georgia.
“But, the European Union is at a crucial moment, Georgia needs to get candidate status by the end of the year. They gave us a European perspective, which was very important for Georgia, because it meant that geography is no longer an obstacle for Georgia, as it was for many years. The next stage is getting candidate status, and in this “soft war” we have with Russia, I think the European Union cannot lose Georgia, disappoint the Georgian people again, and give Russia an easy place to “play”.
“This is a very strategic decision, which, of course, takes into account the democratic reforms and the process, which lately has not been as satisfactory as it should have been. However, these conditions can remain, can be added to; there are many opportunities through which the European Union can choose the right words and format, but again – this is the right strategic decision,” Zurabishvili said.
