Georgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi, exclusively to VK
"Georgia has become the flagship of the enlargement process of the European space”, George Margvelashvili said proudly in an interview with "Rustavi 2" about the Vilnius EU summit during which Tbilisi initialed an Association Agreement with the EU. The president lamented that Russia "inadequately perceived the European process as competing with it."
The Russian theme prevailed at the summit, even in the absence of an official representatives of the Russian Federation in Vilnius. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an official dinner said that at the table, there is another invisible guest", Margvelashvili said. According to him, Moscow "tried to change the European paradigm”, and this attempt "has left a nasty mark on the summit". However, the president is sure that during the preparations for the signing of the already initialed agreement between Georgia and the EU "Russia will not act against us as it operates in Ukraine. Russian politicians are unlikely to use the same cards in our case. We stand more firmly on our pro-European stance, as the Georgian economy is dependent on Russian to a much lesser extent than the Ukrainian one. Russia has already exhausted its resources of negative impact on Georgia".
According to Margvelashvili, the Georgian political spectrum and the whole community "are united and steadfast in the issue of pro-Western orientation of the country". "Therefore, there is no risk for Europe in the case of Georgia", the president said hinting that the recent decisions made by Kiev put the EU in an awkward position .
However, he welcomed the restoration and the expansion of trade relations with Russia, but , according to the president , the volume of trade between Russia and Georgia over the year remaining before signing an association agreement with the EU "is unlikely to reach an adequate level so that the threat to its termination questioned the political freedom of Georgia". "If you do not have an Aunt, you cannot lose her", Margvelashvili quoted lyrics from the movie "The Irony of Fate , or Enjoy Your Bath".
Georgian leader called for the inexorable continuation of the course to join NATO and expanding the partnership with the United States : "In the course of the London summit of NATO, Georgia expects serious consideration of its prospects for the alliance", Margvelashvili said. According to him, Georgia and the United States "are linked by extraordinary document - the Charter on Strategic Partnership - and President Obama "promised to sign a Free Trade Agreement with Georgia".
