The President of the European People's Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens visited the Republic of Georgia to host in Batumi a trilateral Eastern Partnership meeting of EPP and like-minded Ministers from Moldova, Georgia and Armenia on Dec 19.
The meeting was attended – in presence of Georgian PM Nika Gilauri – by Thornike Gordadze, Georgian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viorel Gutu, Moldovan Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Zohrab Mnatsakanian, Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“I am particularly pleased to have hosted in Batumi the first Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting of EPP and like-minded Ministers from Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia. Following a decision taken at the EPP Congress in Marseille by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, and Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat, I am very pleased that this EPP initiative has quickly materialized,” President Martens said.
“Contrary to Ukraine and Belarus, it's important to see the leadership of three advanced eastern partnership countries working closely together, pooling their political resources, in order to make the Eastern Partnership a success. Moreover, the fact that we were able to gather the chief negotiators for the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and have a thorough and productive discussion, will surely give new impetus for the implementation of the DCFTA,” the EPP President added.
