During his meeting with Maia Panjikidze, the Foreign Minister of Georgia, Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip assured that we definitely have experts and businesses who are ready to provide their experience in developing the eHealth system in Georgia.
The Prime Minister of Georgia thanked Estonia for its support in developing the eHealth system. In December and January, Georgian Members of Parliament visited Estonia in order to examine the legislative basis of eHealth in Estonia. Preparations for the visit of the Social Minister of Georgia to Estonia are underway to advance the cooperation on establishing the eHealth system in Georgia.
One of the priorities of the new Georgian Cabinet is the reform of social services.
The Foreign Minister of Georgia confirmed that the new government would continue its efforts towards accessing the EU and NATO.
“We do not implement reforms solely for the purpose of accession; we want to use these reforms to develop our country and to solve the problems we are facing in our country,” the Foreign Minister said.
The Minister added that for Georgia, just like it was for Estonia, accession to the European Union is above all a matter of security, but the accession would naturally invigorate the Georgian economy as well. The Prime Minister recognized the efforts of Georgia and hoped that one day Estonia and Georgia would cooperate on both the NATO and the EU level, since Estonia supports the open door policy in both organizations.
“Our cooperation this far has been excellent and we wish to continue to meet the wants and needs of Georgia as much as possible in offering our experience in implementing reforms,” Ansip said. Among our Eastern partners, Georgia has been the one to receive development assistance the most.
We will most certainly continue to support the Western-oriented integration of Georgia.
“It is important to keep your national developments stable so that the necessary reforms may continue,” Ansip said at the meeting.
This year, Georgia will be holding presidential elections. The Foreign Minister promised that the elections would be organized in the best way ever experienced in Georgia.
The meeting found that companies should be more familiarized with the potential that lies in bilateral economic relations. Currently, the economic relations between Georgia and Estonia are modest. The turnover of 11 months of 2012 was 6.2 million euros, of which exports constituted 4.2 million euros and imports – two million euros. Estonian direct investments in Georgia amounted to 2.1 million euros in the first half 2012.
Two members of the new Georgian Cabinet have already visited Estonia: State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration Petriashvili and Foreign Minister Panjikidze. Georgian Prime Minister Ivanishvili has invited our Prime Minister to Georgia. Prime Minister Ansip has asked to convey his appreciation for the invitation and invited his colleague to Estonia as well. The Prime Minister of Estonia last visited Georgia in 2007.
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Quelle/Source: The Baltic Course, 01.02.2013
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