Georgia starts negotiations on associate membership of EU

Tbilisi will start negotiations on July 15th on associate membership
of Georgia in the EU. Georgia expects the arrival of a high-ranking
delegation from the EU, Mikhail Saakashvili said on Tuesday at a
session of the National Security Council of Georgia, Interfax reports.

He also said that they plan talks on the free-market agreement with EU
in autumn. Saakashvili recalled that Georgia and the EU have an
agreement simplifying the visa regime between them, which comes into
force in the second half of 2010.

Saakashvili said that Georgia is planning for visits from the USA and
EU countries. They expect the Polish foreign minister and US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton to arrive on July 5th and the president of
France with the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner on July 14th.