Estonian and German Governments: the Presence of the European Union in Georgia Must Be Expanded
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip met with Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, with whom the main topic under discussion was the current situation in Georgia. The heads of the Estonian and German governments condemned the military aggression of Russia against the sovereign country. When speaking about the influence of the decisions and behaviour of Russia on relations with the European Union, both parties stressed that the European Union must be uniform in addressing Russia.
Andrus Ansip and Angela Merkel were of the same opinion, in that the
Russian forces must withdraw from Georgia and that Russia must adhere
to the six-point peace plan. Together, it was found that, in light of
the present situation, on site international observation missions must
be intensified.
Prime Minister Ansip stressed that the crisis
in Georgia must be a turning point not for the withdrawal of Georgia,
but for faster integration both with the European Union and NATO.
“Estonia has consistently stressed the need to develop the European
Neighbourhood Policy,” said Ansip, and emphasised that the need to
increase the activity of the European Union in the current crisis area
is obvious. During the meeting, the Prime Minister also made specific
proposals with regard to political measures, such as the faster
introduction of the visa simplification procedure between the European
Union and Georgia and entry into a more in-depth free trade Agreement.
The
discussion of the situation in Georgia will continue next Monday in
Brussels, at the meeting of the European Council called under
extraordinary circumstances.
When speaking about bilateral
relations, the Prime Minister noted that Germany has done a great job
regarding the rejoining of Estonia with Europe and supported Estonia
during the moments when Estonia really needed international support.
“Such partners who stand for stable and democratic values are very
important for a small country,” said Ansip.
The Prime Minister
thanked Germany for defending the air space of the Baltic States in the
framework of the NATO air defence mission, organised this year from
July to September.
The topic of energy was also briefly
touched upon. The Prime Minister noted that for Estonia, it is very
important that the local electricity sector be included among
industries in the threat of carbon leakage in the European Union. “For
Estonia, it is an issue of preserving the national independence of oil
shale energy and electricity production,” said the Prime Minister. The
heads of the governments discussed the energy issues in more detail at
the official lunch that followed the meeting.
Recording of the extraordinary press conference of the heads of the Estonian and German governments:
http://meedia.rk.ee/
on 27-08-2008 By Giovanni Angioni - Estonian foreign policy
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