Estonia’s president Kersti Kaljulaid has said that the European Union should be open to further integration, making the case for Georgia’s potential accession, the Georgian press has reported.
Speaking at the 14th Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, Mrs Kaljulaid said that “the main reason why it is important not to close the door on Georgia is the [Russian] occupation.”
“Georgia’s territory is partially occupied and this does not even represent a frozen conflict,” she stressed, adding that if the EU fears Russia’s possible reactions, that would essentially prove that it is Russia dictating who can choose a Western political orientation in the post-Soviet sphere.
The Estonian president noted that she was confident about Georgia’s success in implementing reforms.
Discussing bilateral relations with Georgia’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, on September 1, Mrs Kaljulaid reiterated her country’s support for Georgia regarding its ongoing conflict with Russia over the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and Abkhazia regions.