Brussels, 06/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The fourth meeting of the parliamentary committee for cooperation between the EU and Georgia was held on 29 and 30 April in Tbilisi, in Georgia, under the joint chairmanship of Ursula Schleicher (EPP-ED, Germany) and Vakhtang Khmaladze. It adopted a series of recommendations taking on board that made by the European Parliament in its resolution of 28 February on southern Caucasus, that the EU should adopt a common strategy for the region and appoint a special envoy. MEPs and Georgian parliamentarians stress in their final declaration the role of Georgia, mainly in the context of the post 11 September period, and its "perspective of becoming a major transit corridor between Europe and Asia".
Insisting on the need to fully implement the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the two parties, the parliamentary committee places emphasis on the economic and technical aid provided by the European Union (EUR 342 million since the country gained independence) as well as reforms on legal matters, taxation and privatisation, adopted by Georgia. Parliamentarians, however, recognise that there is still much to be done, at economic level especially, in order to attract foreign investment and at political and legal level in order to: 1) fight corruption, 2) develop democracy and human rights, and 3) resolve internal conflict with the provinces of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. The declaration also recalls the initiatives taken by Georgia to ensure effective protection of its frontiers and welcomes the financial support provided by the EU to Georgian border guards.
MEPs stress the importance of relations between Georgia and Russia and urge for strengthened cooperation between the two countries and ratification of the Baden agreement of 13 July 2000, while insisting on how important it is for Moscow to respect the conditions fixed by the OSCE summit in Istanbul concerning the withdrawal of Russian military bases from the territory of Georgia.