OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2015. Prime Minister Taavi Roivas and Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili discussed economic cooperation and the changed security situation in Europe.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Roivas said that Georgia is not only an important partner for Estonia in defence cooperation and culturally, but it is also a friend. A prime example of this excellent cooperation is the success of the jointly produced film Tangerines.

According to Roivas, there is still a lot of untapped potential in the field of economic cooperation. “The intensity of the trade of goods between the two nations in Estonia's external trade is very low at the moment. I hope the visit to Georgia of this Estonian business delegation gives new impetus to the economic relations,” said Roivas.

The changed security situation in Europe and the possibilities to respond to it were also discussed at the meeting. Prime Minister Roivas stressed that Estonia supports Georgia's territorial integrity and its right to decide its own future.

Roivas regards Georgia's progress in integrating with NATO as remarkable. “Estonia will firmly support Georgia's integration with the EU and NATO,” said Roivas, and he encouraged Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to move forward with the necessary reforms and maintain dialogue with international organisations.

Prime Minister Roivas confirmed that Estonia will gladly share its experience of reforms. “It is our duty and pleasure, because everything we have done has been done on behalf of our country and not just to meet standards; this has provided us with valuable experience that we can share,” concluded Roivas.

Prime Minister Roivas also said that Georgia’s signing of the Association Agreement with the EU was a significant step forward, and he expressed the hope that Georgia's accession to the European Union will also be discussed at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga.