Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Mikheil Janelidze have agreed today, after the meeting in the Serbian Government, that the dedication to the European perspective and mutual respect of territorial integrity are important points in bilateral relations between Serbia and Georgia.
Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović has assessed after the meeting that the two countries will be linked by Serbia's clear commitment to EU membership perspective in the future, as well as efforts employed by Georgia which, according to her, has made the most progress in the association process through the EU’s Eastern Partnership policy, in the region which connects Europe and Asia.
She has commended Georgia for its remarkable progress in meeting the requirements from the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement. She has assessed that the relations between Serbia and Georgia could primarily be improved in economic cooperation, and has proposed more intensive meetings of economic delegations of the two countries.
"Georgia has a very favourable environment for investments and business, and is highly ranked on the Doing Business list of the World Bank, so Georgia's experiences are, in this regard, very valuable to us," Joksimović has stressed.
She has said that Serbia has offered expert, technical and political assistance to Georgia in the process of association with the EU, regardless of the currently different perspectives that Serbia has as a candidate and Georgia as the most advanced member of the so-called Eastern Partnership policy.
"Georgia is very interested in our knowledge and experience in the current process of European integration, which represents great satisfaction for us, because we too are becoming a country that can share its experience with others. This is a sign of appreciation of what Serbia has achieved in the previous period," Joksimović believes.
As an important point in the development of bilateral relations between Serbia and Georgia, she has stressed the mutual respect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the two countries.
"Just as Georgia respects the territorial integrity of Serbia, we also support the territorial integrity of Georgia on principled grounds," Joksimović has stressed.
She has told the Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs that Georgia has Serbia as a partner that can provide credible help in the process of joining the EU.
Minister Joksimović has promised to return the visit to Georgia in a few months when the forms of cooperation between the two countries will be specified.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Mikheil Janelidze has pointed out that the good relations between the two countries and two nations are based on friendly relations in the aspiration of both Serbia and Georgia to become full members of the European family.
He has congratulated Serbia on the achieved results in the process of European integration.
"We are very interested in your success because Georgia also strives to join the EU. We highly appreciate the progress of Serbia and the expertise that you are willing to share with us. We talked about many details today, and I am grateful for that," Janelidze has said.
He has added that the European integration opens new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in various fields - economic exchange, transport, energy, environmental protection...
He has stressed that Georgia respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia in accordance with the international principles and rules.
Source: Tanjug
