The Georgian parliament has 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, Trend reports. 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 had taken an irreversible step towards democracy, adding that the country has overcome the main obstacles on this way.
In an interview with VK, the head of the Institute for Strategy Management, Petre Mamradze, said that this document does not bring Georgia closer to joining the EU. "Let me remind you that Syria signed the same agreement many years ago, and Turkey has recently celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its association with the EU," the expert said.
The head of the economic department of the "New Right," Levan Kalandadze, said that among the advantages of the agreement is the removal of export restrictions on the goods and services of Georgian producers to Europe. Among the risks, the experts named the possibilities of an increase in prices on the domestic Georgian market.
The deputy head of the Caucasus Institute of CIS countries, Vladimir Yevseyev, said that in his opinion the agreement will contribute to loosening the economic system of Georgia.
Georgian parliament ratifies association agreementThe Georgian parliament has 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, Trend reports.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.
