EUROPEAN UNION

ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT

WITH GEORGIA VIKTORIA KVARATSKHELIA

ILIA CHAVCHAVADZE (     ) ილია ჭავჭავაძე(1837–1907) WAS A GEORGIAN WRITER, POET, JOURNALIST AND LAWYER WHO SPEARHEADED THE REVIVAL OF THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, DURING THE RUSSIAN RULE OF GEORGIA. TODAY HE IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF MODERN GEORGIA..

MOST OF HIS WORK DEALT WITH GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS. HE WAS A DEVOTED PROTECTOR OF THE GEORGIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE FROM RUSSIFICATION.

APRIL 9, 1989: SOVIET CRACKDOWN IN TBILISI

2008 GEORGIA RUSSIA CONFLICTFACTS:THE CONFLICT CENTERED ON SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA, TWO "BREAKAWAY PROVINCES" IN GEORGIA. THEY ARE OFFICIALLY PART OF GEORGIA, BUT HAVE SEPARATE, UNRECOGNIZED GOVERNMENTS.

•FAR REACHING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

•DEEPENING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC TIES

CONSEQUENTLY: GEORGIA CLOSER TO EUROPE

MEMBERSHIP:THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PASSED A RESOLUTION IN 2014 STATING THAT "IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 49 OF THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION, GEORGIA, MOLDOVA AND UKRAINE, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY, HAVE A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE AND CAN APPLY FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY, RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, MINORITY RIGHTS AND ENSURING THE RULE OF RIGHTS." MEMBERSHIP IS WELCOMED BY GEORGIANS, WITH 77% OF THE POPULATION APPROVING THE GOVERNMENT'S GOAL TO JOIN THE EU AND ONLY 11% OPPOSING IT

VISA LIBERALIZATION DIALOGUE:IN JUNE 2012, THE EU AND GEORGIA BEGAN A VISA LIBERALISATION DIALOGUE TO ALLOW FOR VISA FREE TRAVEL OF GEORGIAN CITIZENS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION.GEORGIA WILL TAKE ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS VISA FREE TRAVEL TO THE SCHENGEN AREA THROUGH AN EU-FUNDED PROJECT WHICH WILL HELP TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES IN THE FIELD OF INTEGRATED BORDER MANAGEMENT AND MIGRATION

THANK YOU