Speaking before the opening of the concert dedicated to the Europe Day, at the State theatre of Opera and ballet in Tbilisi, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said that Georgia is making steps towards the “European family” and the confirmation of this will be planned for autumn of this year elections to be held “by European standards”.
“Georgia became independent 25 years ago, but we still do the steps in order to become free. We need to build our values, the same for European companies. [Build] a society based on the ideals of freedom,” — said Margvelashvili, a speech which is published on the website of the President of Georgia.
He stressed that freedom means having “their own views and values” and the simultaneous adoption of other, and “the freedom to think and live differently than you.” “So we lived for many centuries, we have created a culture, now it is necessary that this culture has developed into a national system,” said the President.
According to Margvelashvili, the Georgian society and political leadership makes “decisive steps” towards the “European family”. “[It] demonstrate our agreements, political processes developing in Georgia, it will prove elections according to European standards, which will be held this year, and in the preparation [which] is very actively engaged the population [of the country],” said the Georgian leader.
“Georgia will become a member of the European Union, I’m sure!”, concluded Margvelashvili.
Previously, in early may, European Commissioner for enlargement and neighbourhood policy Johannes Hahn has expressed hope that the citizens of Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo will be able to travel without visas to EU in 2016. He recalled that Georgia and Ukraine have already received recommendations for the establishment of a visa-free regime. “I think that should be a joint relationship, at least in the three countries, and can be, and Turkey”, — said the Commissioner.
In March the European Commission invited the European Council and the European Parliament to abolish the visa regime for Georgian citizens, moving this country to the list of States whose citizens can travel without visas to the Schengen area. If the European Parliament and the EU Council will endorse this proposal, Georgians, holding biometric passports, do not need to obtain visas if tourist, family or business visits to the Schengen area for up to 90 days. The right to work in the EU, the visa exemption does not provide. Visa-free regime will apply to all member countries of the European Union, except Ireland and the UK, as well as the four associated countries in the Schengen area — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
