The Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia addressed the participants during a thematic discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos - New Ambitions for Europe.

According to him, we “are in a region full of challenges”. The Prime Minister once again underlined that 20% of Georgia is occupied by Russia.

“You all remember well that 20% of our country is occupied by Russia. This is a daily challenge facing our citizens. It is well known that the Georgian government is committed only to resolving the conflict peacefully. We promised this to our friends. When it comes to acting in the current situation, deepening strategic partnerships with our friends - the US and the European Union - is the only way to survive in a region full of these challenges.

I am here as the Prime Minister of a country that is a member of the Eastern Partnership and this is very important to us; the second factor is that Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspiration is a fact and this choice was made up by our citizens.

According to recent surveys, 70% of the country’s population support Euro-Atlantic integration.

Georgia has made big achievements over the past five years, including signing of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, however, noted that Georgia faces security and economic challenges.

Resolving the economic issues is among our top priorities. Georgia is a gate between Europe and Asia and when we speak about economic policy we see Georgia as the platform of trade turnover between the world"s top economies. We fully realize that making investments in economy equals investing for security. When we speak about problems, we see the security problems in the Black Sea. The Black Sea is a priority not only for Georgia but for the North Atlantic Alliance, which is a new segment for Georgia.

Georgia can play a very important role for Black Sea security. Georgia needs closer economic cooperation with the EU.

We have a strong legal framework - the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Deal- but have no land borders with the EU which is a problem and the challenge should be overcome. Georgia’s increased role for Black Sea security is likely to settle the connection problem.

We fully realize that we do not have the means to deal with real political issues such as membership or deepening of the organization, but for our part, we are ready to do our homework. We believe that this is our country’s chance to get closer to the EU. Membership of the EU and NATO is a guarantee for the security of our country. This is how we see the prospect of cooperation with Europe in Georgia. Of course, we will do our best to make Georgia always a topic of discussion when you - our friends - talk about the future of Europe”, - concluded the Head of the Georgian Government.