Tbilisi, Georgia, July 18
By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:
Georgian parliament unanimously approved the association agreement with the European Union (EU) during its extraordinary session on July 18.
All 123 MPs supported the ratification of the document.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin and his Latvian counterpart Edgar Rinkevich took part in the ceremony of ratification.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili greeted the MPs and guests and stressed that Georgia has chosen the European path.
He said that by signing the association agreement with the EU, Georgia took an irreversible step towards democracy, adding that the country has overcome the main obstacles on this way.
Following the ratification, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili congratulated everyone and emphasized the unity of the opposition and the government that share the idea of integration into Europe.
The association agreement between Georgia and EU was signed in Brussels on June 27.
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze earlier said that the major part of the association agreement will enter into force on September 1. This document envisages strengthening the cooperation in various spheres, brining the national law in compliance with the European law, as well as the country's access to the European market.