Slovenia backs Georgia on its path to EU, NATO

STA news agency, Ljubljana
31 Aug 07

Ljubljana, 31 August (STA) – Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel met his
Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili in Ljubljana on Friday,
discussing the South Caucasus, Georgia’s path towards NATO and the EU,
and bilateral relations.

Rupel said after the meeting that the South Caucasus was affected by
frozen conflicts and that Slovenia "supports Georgia’s stance that
these problems be solved in a peaceful way, with the help of
international legal instruments and by observing Georgia’s territorial
integrity".

He said that these frozen conflicts involved above all the dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia meanwhile also has some
problems, these being connected to the cases of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, according to Rupel.

Bezhuashvili said that Georgia appreciated the interest shown by
Slovenia with regard to the South Caucasus.

The ministers also discussed Georgian-Russian relations, with
Bezhuashvili mentioning the recent incident involving an alleged
violation of Georgian air space by Russian planes.

He explained Georgia tried to bring the incident to the attention of
the international community, and did so "not in order to corner anyone,
but to let preventive diplomacy prevail" in solving the crisis.

Asked whether increased defence spending meant that Georgia was trying
to reclaim South Ossetia, Bezhuashvili said that Georgia was "not only
trying", as this presented "a priority in our interior and foreign
policies, to take back what is ours".

"We are doing this in a civilised way and as a responsible European
country and democracy," he added.

Bezhuashvili’s working visit to Slovenia came after President Mikhail
Saakashvili recently made a stop in Slovenia as part of the Strategic
Summit Bled during which he met Prime Minister Janez Jansa as well as
Rupel.

Turning to Georiga’s future as part of NATO and the EU, Rupel said that
Slovenia supported Georgia obtaining as soon as possible a higher
status in both organisations.

He added that it was for now not possible to speak of EU membership,
but rather about "different modalities in the framework of the European
Neighbourhood Policy".

While Rupel said that Georgia’s NATO membership was being complicated a
bit by the situation in the South Caucasus, Bezhuashvili said his
country appreciated Slovenia’s support and expected active backing
during Slovenia’s EU presidency.

Rupel said that Slovenia would in fact have a voice in setting the
agenda of the bloc, adding that he wished the agenda also included
solutions to some of Georgia’s problems.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress