European and TransAtlantic Integration in The Broader Black Sea Region: Georgian Perspective

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European and Trans-Atlantic Integration in The
Broader Black Sea RegionGeorgian Perspective
Zurab Khamashuridze Seurity Policy and
Euro-Atlantic Integration Department Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Georgia
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Major Foreign Policy Priorities

• De-occupation of Georgian territories
• Georgias Rapprochement to the European
• Union
• NATO integration

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EU-Georgia Relations
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• First recognition by the EU in 1992
• Signing of the Partnership and Cooperation
  Agreement in
• 1996, entered in force in 1999 (will expire in
  2009)
• 2004 Council of Ministers made a decision to
  extend
• European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) to Georgia
  and other
• countries in the region
• 2006 Georgia adopted ENP Action Plans
• 2009 launch of Eastern Partnership (EaP)

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Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

• Entered into force in 1999
• Cooperation in political, socio-economic areas
• Reaching relevant standards and harmonizing
• legislature
• Assistance in strengthening democratic reforms,
• rule of law, market economy, etc.
• no membership criteria
• unless parties decide otherwise, PCA will
• automatically be prolonged for next 10 years.

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European Neighborhood Policy (ENP)

• Georgia since 2004
• First Georgian ENP Action Plan was adopted in
  2006 for
• three years cycle
• ENP was designed to promote integration with EU
• For the first time included conflict resolution
  component
• Four implementation conferences held so far

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Eastern Partnership (EaP)

• Launched in 2009
• Perceived as successor document to ENP
• Promote deeper integration with EU
• Double-track approach bilateral and
  multilateral

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Criticism

• No membership criteria
• No Implementation instrument
• Third-side participation
• Budgetary constraints

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Georgian Goals

• Association Agreement
• Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
• Visa Facilitation Agreement with an ultimate
  goal of visa-free
• movement

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NATO Integration
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- Institutionalized relations since 1994 when
Georgia joined NATOs Partnership for Peace
Program- 2002 at Prague Summit Georgia made an
official statement and expressed its
political will to join the alliance- In 2004
Georgia was the first country to agree on
Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO
First Steps
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- Since 2006 still ongoing- ID is not limited
in time - Helps prepare for Membership - The
only formal framework for political dialogue on
the membership issues
Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues
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- Application was submitted in the run-up to the
Summit- High expectations about Membership
Action Plan (MAP) both in Georgia and
Ukraine- We agreed today that these
countries will become members of NATO MAP is
the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on
their direct way to membership-
Over-politicization of the MAP Issue
NATO 2008 Bucharest Summit
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- Some Allied nations ignored Georgias warning
about the implications of Bucharest
Decision- September North Atlantic Council
Meeting in Georgia (261)- Establishment of
NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC)
Russian Aggression in August 2008
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- To supervise process set-in hand at Bucharest
Summit- Framework for Political Dialogue on
all issues/Coordination Mechanism for
Georgias NATO Membership- Meetings at
Foreign- and Defense Ministers level as well as
expert level and ad-hoc meetings
NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC)
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- At NATO 2009 December Ministerial Annual
National Plans were agreed both with Georgia
and Ukraine- ANP is a Membership document-
Practical tool designed to advance nations
reform agenda and helps adopt standards
required for membership
NATO 2008 December Ministerial/ANP
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- Is a classified document designed for one
years cycle adapted version will be
released to public- Consists of 5 chapters -
Political and Economic Issues - Defense and
Military Issues - Resource Issues - Security
Issues - Legal Issues
ANP - Georgia
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- First Implementation Document was submitted to
NATO in September 2008 - NATOs
International Staff Assessment Team visited
Georgia in September to evaluate Georgias
progress in implementing the ANP-
Assessment report was released just recently
which will be adopted at the North Atlantic
Council (NAC)
ANP - Georgia
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- Preparation for NATOs 2009 December
Ministerial- Scenario-based short-term strategy
for NATO integration is being developed-
Diversification of Accession Mechanism -
Development of New Strategic Concept of the
Alliance
Next steps
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- Open door policy- Indivisibility of
security- Reinforcement of territorial defense
principle- Reinforcement of article 5 (primary
purpose of the Alliance based on deterrence
capabilities)- Cyber Security- Territorial
integrity, not forcefully change of borders-
Energy Security- Reflection on evolving
strategic environment (new patterns of
increased conventional threat in Euro-Atlantic
area)- Erosion of PfP spirit (war in August,
Russias reaction to PfP exercises in
Georgia).- Nuclear deterrence
New Strategic Concept of the Alliance Georgias
perspective
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Thank you!