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President Ilves to depart for an official visit to Georgia

02.06.2015

The President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, will be on an official visit to Georgia today and tomorrow.

The main focus of meetings with the President, Giorgi Margvelashvili, Speaker of the Parliament, David Usupashvili and all the representatives of parliament parties, including the Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, will be on Georgia's continuing euro integration, the regional and trans-Atlantic security situation and co-operation between Estonia and Georgia in the spheres of defence, culture, education, IT and development co-operation.

In April of last year, during a meeting between presidents Ilves and Margvelashvili, the Estonian Head of State stated that, "Georgia has made a good progress on its way towards democracy and a market economy, which will continue to bring you closer to the European Union and NATO."

The Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, which covers joint free trade area, serves as one such confirmation of this progress.

"Estonia remains a strong ally of Georgia and a strong supporter of the Georgian people's wish to implement some changes," President Ilves emphasised. "These changes and complicated reforms will help to shape a successful and secure future for Georgia and serve as encouragement for several neighbouring countries of the European Union."

Estonia continues to offer intense co-operation to Georgia, which will focus on building up a modern country and the maintenance of democracy, free journalism, independent court structures, a market economy as the engine for a blooming economy, political stability and domestic political co-operation and a low level of corruption.

Estonia considers fast ratification of the association agreements between Georgia, together with Moldova and Ukraine, and the European Union by all the member states to be of utmost importance and supports granting Georgia visa-free travel this year.

President Ilves will give a public presentation, "Walking the European path. Challenges of State Building", at the Atlantic Council of Georgia, and meet, in Tbilisi, with the best of the competition for start-up companies, which was organised with support from the Estonian development co-operation project, and at which 300 students from 23 universities attended.

The Estonian Head of State will be accompanied during his official visit to Georgia by Director General of the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paul Teesalu; the Director General of the Department of External Economic and Development Co-operation, Andre Pung; and Head of Office, Kaili Terras.

Office of the President
Public Relations Department