Thursday, 23 November 2006 11:49
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves acknowledged Georgia, which he visited on a working trip, for its clear objectives and encouraged the country to continue on the road to reform.
''The reforms should be continued, and Estonia is ready to continue and even increase its support as well as to help Georgia clarify its situation to its partners,'' said President Ilves after a meeting with Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian Head of State.
The almost three-hour, one-on-one meeting, which President Ilves characterized as an ''intensive, wide-ranging, and comprehensive discussion'' provided the Estonian side with confirmation that the Georgian leadership is continuing to steer its country on the road to integration with the West.
''There are many tactical questions, on which we can provide Georgia with good advice, since the resolute political and economic steps that we took in the first half the 1990s, as well as the carefully conceived actions taken to preserve the integrity of our country, laid the foundation for the success story of Estonia as a small re-independent country,'' said President Ilves. ''We see opportunities for cooperation in the resolution of many problems facing Georgia today, on the third anniversary of the Rose Revolution.''
At his meeting with the Georgian Minister of Defence, Davit Kezerashvili, the Estonian Head of State spoke about the NATO Summit taking place in Riga next week and Georgia’s intensive dialogue with the alliance. Minister Kezerashvili expressed interest in Georgia getting two additional places at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, where two Georgian officers are currently studying.
Public Relations Department of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, 23 November 2006
