Georgia, Tbilisi, July 10 / Trend N.Kirtskhalia /
Georgia and other countries of Eastern Partnership, which will be ready, should manage in the autumn of next year at the EU summit in Vilnius to obtain an application for EU membership, President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said at a joint briefing with the President of the European People's Party, Wilfried Martens.
They summed up the conference held in Batumi "European Way of Georgia - The European Union and its European neighbors."
"We are already in active negotiations on a comprehensive free trade and visa-free regime with the EU, and I think that by the autumn of next year, these negotiations will be completed successfully. We have made serious progress in this direction," the president said.
Saakashvili said that if Georgia and other countries of the partnership are able to get such a proposal from the EU and "a clear message, a willingness to accept us," then it will be a "historic heritage" of Georgia.
"It definitely will give us the security and development since integration with the EU will give us new impetus to the development," the president of Georgia said.
Batumi on Tuesday hosted the 9th International Conference "European Way of Georgia - The European Union and its European neighbors."
The conference was attended by senior officials of the Eastern European region, the heads of EU institutions, the president of the European People's Party Wilfried Martens, Prime Minister of Moldova Vladimir Filat, as well as MEPs, representatives of legislative and executive authorities of Georgia, non-governmental sector and the business community of Georgia and the EU member states.
The conference focused on the prospects for the European integration process in the Eastern neighborhood of the European Union, including democratic reform and the rule of law, the challenges of global and regional security, economic co-operation with the European Union and international relations.