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Foreign minister: Denmark must assist Georgia’s EU bid
Christian Wenande
April 14th, 2015
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This article is more than 9 years old.
Third Tbilisi trip in 12 months
The foreign minister Martin Lidegaard has teamed up with his Swedish and Polish counterparts for a trip to Tbilisi, Georgia to show support for the nation’s current pro-European course.
Denmark is already involved in the development of Georgia where it is setting out a new energy-efficient and sustainable energy program for the nation.
“For a country like Georgia, it is essential to become more self-sufficient in terms of energy so the nation can act more freely in its security and foreign policies,” Lidegaard said.
“Moreover, the reforms that will ensure greater energy efficiency are central to the agreed-upon responsibilities with the EU. Denmark is perfectly positioned to help with that.”
READ MORE: Denmark inks new co-op agreement with Poland
Human rights
In the spring of 2014, Georgia was named a priority nation in the Danish neighbour strategy and Lidegaard has visited Tbilisi three times over the past year alone. Georgia signed an EU association agreement in June last year.
Lidegaard and his Swedish and Polish colleagues will meet with the incumbent government, and also with representatives from the opposition and the nation’s civil society.
Among the issues to be discussed are political development and minority and human rights situation in the country.
“The visit is a clear underlining of Georgia’s importance to Denmark and the EU,” Lidegaard said.
“We want to show our support for the nation’s steady European course despite pressure and punishment from Russia. But we also want to pinpoint some of the areas where change is needed.”
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