At their meeting in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the European Union discussed the political situation in Georgia.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasized the importance of supporting Georgia and its developing civilian society. “There may be setbacks on the complicated road to democracy, but we should not abandon the Georgian people, who have made remarkable progress in the last several years,” Paet said to his colleagues. Estonia is an active supporter of accelerating the creation of a visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Georgia. Paet called it illogical that Russian citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are able to go through a simplified visa process in order to travel to the European Union, but Georgian citizens are not. “That is why starting the visa facilitation talks very soon is vital,” Paet added.
The situation in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina were also discussed, as was the political situation in the Western Balkans. In the case of Kosovo, the council of foreign ministers expressed the European Union’s readiness to take a lead role in regulating Kosovo’s future. “It is extremely important that the European Union maintains its consistency when it comes to Kosovo, particularly in the aftermath of the negotiations,” said Foreign Minister Paet. The foreign minister confirmed that Estonia supports the dispatching of a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) mission to Kosovo. “We consider thorough preparation for the mission and extensive co-operation between NATO and the EU to be of utmost importance,” said Paet. The Kosovo status talks being led by the European Union, the USA and Russia are scheduled to end on 10 December of this year.
In talking about Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ministers voiced concern over the political situation in the nation. “Estonia is calling on the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue their efforts in implementing police reforms, so that it would be possible to sign a stabilisation and association agreement,” said Paet. The foreign minister confirmed that Estonia strongly supports the activities of the European Union Special Representative in the region.
