mr president i am very impressed by the very thorough picture that the president-in-office and the commissioner have painted of the present state of relations
the eu's relationship with georgia does raise very far-reaching questions about what we are about what the eu is and what we aspire to be
it could be that this relationship could turn out to be a test case of our commitment to values of solidarity human rights and democracy our proclaimed values
it is clear enough that georgia both the elites and society see the country as belonging to europe
at the same time that country let us admit it is in a precarious situation as russia the former colonial power has not given up its aspiration to reclaim some kind of overlordship over georgia or indeed over the rest of the southern caucasus
it is in this sense that there are many people in russia who do not take georgia's status as an independent state seriously and take the view that georgia's return to russia is just a question of time
this leaves the great majority of people in georgia feeling decidedly insecure
that insecurity has been markedly intensified in the light of last year's conflict with russia
no country likes to be stripped of its sovereign territory as georgia was
all this affects the eu hence the significance of the eastern partnership
georgia sees itself as having a european future not least as a guarantee of its security
obviously there is also the southern caucasian energy corridor which is a future lifeline for europe's energy supplies
these would be compelling enough reasons for the european union to take georgia's european aspirations seriously as we obviously do but there is also a final argument which is that if europe neglects these aspirations then our own credibility in the world will come into question and our opponents will be delighted by this demonstration of europe's weakness
