Tbilisi, Georgia, Aug. 21
By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze explains the suspended ratification of the EU Association Agreement with the EU countries by summer holidays.
"A month passed after the document was signed," she said in an interview with Imedi TV company. "But this is a period when the legislative bodies of most countries have a rest. So, only four countries managed to ratify it, namely, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania. I am sure that this process will continue in other countries in September. I suppose that the vast majority of the countries will ratify the agreement by the end of the year. We had consultations with many countries. They know our position. They believe that this process should be speeded up. The second speaker of the Austrian Parliament, who was on a visit to Tbilisi, promised that the country will quickly ratify the agreement."
Regarding the EU representatives' statements, Panjikidze considers this as an important support for Georgia.
"The authors of the statement are friends of Georgia," she said. "They are well aware of importance of the Association Agreement for Georgia."
Panjikidze stressed that the fact that most countries have not yet ratified it does not hamper the temporary use of the agreement.