Georgia has recognized Serbia as the most serious candidate for EU membership, a country with a serious and realistic prospect of membership, Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, who is participating in the two-day International Conference "Georgia's European Way - A Partnership That Matters - 10 Years and Beyond" in the Georgian city of Batumi, has said today.
Joksimović has stressed that this was precisely why Georgia had invited the Serbian minister to the gathering, because it sees Serbia as the leading country in this process, from which it can learn a lot and benefit from its experiences.
In this regard, the Minister has stressed that Serbia is willing and open to help Georgia and all those interested in the European integration process, and that it supports the European perspective of all who seek it.
"This resonated well," Joksimović has told Tanjug, adding that she will sign the Agreement on Cooperation between the two countries with the foreign minister of Georgia during her visit to that country.
The Minister has said that 10 years of Eastern Partnership is celebrated in Batumi. Eastern Partnership is a major project that the EU launched with Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, which all signed the Association Agreement, but which are not guaranteed EU membership as the ultimate goal.
This is frustrating to some countries that have advanced in this process, such as Georgia, Joksimović has observed, adding that it was important to see what the messages were after 10 years of the Eastern Partnership policy and what the prospects are.
Joksimović has stressed that she has also pointed out during the panel that the enlargement policy would be "clinically dead" had it not been for Serbia's opening of one chapter in EU negotiations in June and signing of the IPA package for 2018, since no one else from the the so-called Western Balkans region had taken any steps in the European integration process.
"Owing to the reforms and to what we have implemented so far, Serbia has continued and, in some way, kept the EU enlargement policy alive at this moment," Joksimović has said.
She has recalled that there are promises for other countries in the region as well in regards to the commencement with negotiations with the EU, which Serbia supports.
Joksimović has also announced the two-day visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Serbia, stressing that it is important for Serbia to hear first-hand the views of one of the most important EU Member States in regards to the future of enlargement.
"However, it is also important for others to hear the views of one serious, advanced country in the process of European integration, such as Serbia, about the future of the process, and the opportunity for this is exactly this gathering in Georgia," the Minister has said.
Joksimović has stressed that everyone must act as credible partners, both the EU towards candidate countries and the candidate countries towards the EU, but, most importantly, towards the citizens who have expectations that, in addition to the reforms, full membership will be attained in a realistic, foreseeable future.
"In order for all of us to be responsible, we all must, first of all, be honest and keep the enlargement policy, as well as mutual trust, alive," Joksimović has said.
She has also stated that her Hungarian colleague, Péter Szijjártó, has come to the gathering as a foreign minister of a country which consistently and principally supports the credible enlargement policy and is also in favor of deepening the Eastern Partnership.
In addition, the foreign ministers of many EU Member States are also present at the gathering, so different views and expectations from the European integration process can be heard.
Joksimović has stressed that the credibility of this process must be preserved, which she also told her colleagues who agreed with her. According to her, if there is a possibility of membership, and if Serbia, as a candidate country, is primarily oriented towards the reforms, then it is important that the credibility of the process remains.
Joksimović has remarked that reforms are certainly being implemented to the benefit of the citizens, but that they are the leading and "transformative" force of this process, i.e. that Serbia would not be in the European integration process if it weren't for the membership as an added value in the end.
"Therefore, if we meet the conditions – we expect to become a member," Joksimović has underlined.
In that sense, she has added that the expectations of the Eastern Partnership countries are somewhat different, since they are aware that it is not realistic for the issue of their membership to be opened in the foreseeable future, but that they are interested in the process of association and the benefits it brings in terms of stabilization, economic reforms, and democratization of society.
Joksimović has spoken today at a panel session "Life after Association - In Search of a Greater Purpose", while a meeting between the Minister and President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili has also been planned.
Friday, Minister Joksimović and Georgia's Minister of Foreign Affairs David Zalkaliani will sign the Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of European Integration.
Source: Tanjug
