“Our ambition is to make Georgia a full member of the European Union,” Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze stated at his press briefing on March 27, a day before the launch of the visa-free travel to the European Union.

“For this political decision,” Janelidze went on, the country needs to prepare “as much as possible in the practical aspects – to introduce EU standards and to converge with the European Union.”

Membership is “only possible by means of implementation of comprehensive vision and action plan,” Janelidze said and added that the Government has the plan and “will spare no effort” to implement it. 

The Foreign Minister explained that the Government’s plan rests on six key areas:

- Implementation of the Association Agreement;
- Integration with EU’s specialized agencies;
- Enhancing Georgia’s participation in EU programs;
- Enhancing dialogue on sectoral policy;
- Deepening dialogue on Defense and Security policy;
- Integration with the EU internal market in the fields of transport, energy and communication.

“The cooperation between the European Union and Georgia illustrates that the two have synchronized interests and that it is based on common values, which is the [very] basis for Georgia becoming the EU member state,” Janelidze concluded.