2015-05-22
During the 4th Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, Latvia, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with several European leaders to discuss Georgia's progress and reforms, as well the possibility for visa-free travel for Georgian citizens to Europe.
With regards to visa liberalization, Prime Minister Garibashvili noted that political message he received from European leaders was that "Moldova was first, Georgia will be next." He posited that Georgian citizens may be able to travel visa-free to the Schengen Area next year, dependent on technical procedures.
During the Summit, held from May 21-22, 2015, Garibashvili met with several European leaders, including: European Parliament President Martin Schulz, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzo, Swedish Prime Minister Stephen Lopen, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovich, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, Latvian President Andris Berzins, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipra.
Prime Minister Garibashvili also delivered a speech at a forum led by the Party of European Socialists, which was also attended by the EU High Representative on Foreign Policy and Security Affairs Federica Mogheini and the Prime Ministers of Sweden and Denmark.
Georgian State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration David Bakradze and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tamar Beruchasvili also joined the Prime Minister Garibashvili on his visit to Lativa.
Prime Minister's Press Office