Meetings and Discussions

   

Round-Table Session “Future of Georgia in the New Europe: Challenges and Opportunities “

On July 29, 2004 the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies and the Brussels office of the EastWest Institute organized a round-table working session “The Future of Georgia in the New Europe: Challenges and Opportunities”.

The discussion participants included governmental officials, representatives of Georgian NGOs working on EU issues, diplomatic corps, representatives of EastWest Institute’s NEAR Forum, Global Security unit. The session was chaired by Dr. Antje Herrberg from the Brussels office of the East West Institute and the director of its NEAR Forum. The speakers presented comprehensive views on Georgia-EU relations. They addressed the problems of good governance, corruption, investment climate and poverty in Georgia and identified the major directions where the country should channel its efforts in dealing with these problems. The participants also discussed the political, security and economic dimensions in which EU and Georgia can cooperate and stressed the need of conflict resolution in the region. Georgia is devoted to EU values and its West orientation is the only way for Georgia to preserve the independent statehood. Furthermore, it is important to devise an action plan for EU-South Caucasus relations that should include realistic objectives and exclude the points that might serve as impediments in future. The Ambassador of the Netherlands to Georgia, Mr. Harry Molenaar noted that the country is included in the area of EU’s vital interests and EU’s commitment to support Georgia in all key areas on its way to democratic development is strong.