The text is available on the president’s website.
On Monday, July 19, in Batumi, Georgia, a summit was held with the participation of the Presidents of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia Maia Sandu, Volodymyr Zelensky and Salome Zurabishvili and the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The joint declaration of the presidents of the three countries states that the purpose of the meeting was to strengthen tripartite cooperation on European integration and reaffirm the commitment to cooperate for the European future.
‘We reaffirm our commitment to continuing the process of our integration into the European Union through comprehensive reforms aimed at strengthening our democratic institutions and the gradual approximation of our legislation in the relevant areas to key elements of EU law’.
According to the presidents, giving the European perspective to the three associate partners will be a powerful stimulus and will give impetus to even deeper and broader reforms.
The Presidents agreed to cooperate with the EU institutions in realizing the potential in accordance with the Association Agreements.
However, they also stressed that the agreements should be renewed.
‘At the same time, association agreements should remain flexible instruments that should be updated, when and where necessary, take into account the development of the regulatory framework and economic development, as provided for in the agreements.’
The leaders also reaffirm their support for the Eastern Partnership (the EU’s policy to strengthen relations with its eastern neighbors) and hope that the Eastern Partnership summit in December will give a new political and strategic impetus to the initiative.
The presidents reaffirm their readiness for political dialogue and the promotion of economic and sectoral integration with the EU, especially in the areas of transport, energy, digital transformation, green economy, justice and home affairs, strategic communications and health, noting that EU assistance is extremely important.
The leaders also stress their desire to cooperate with the European Union in the field of common security and defense policy.
‘We hope to deepen cooperation between our states and the Black Sea partners in order to ensure security and stability in the Black Sea region.’
The Presidents also thank the EU for its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
‘It is clear that Russia’s attempts at annexation and illegal occupation of Georgia’s territories, its aggression in eastern Ukraine and the temporary occupation of Crimea, as well as the unresolved conflict in the Transnistria region of the Republic of Moldova pose a serious threat to the region and Europe as a whole. We are ready to work with the EU on ways to resolve conflicts peacefully and to ensure lasting peace, stability and security in the region, including by strengthening the role and involvement of the EU.’
The Presidents also note that they have taken into account the conclusions of the European Council, in which EU leaders expressed the need to further deepen and intensify political, economic and interpersonal ties and cooperation with the Eastern Partners to enhance their resilience, and recognized European aspirations and the European choice of associate partners.
‘Accession to the European Union is a goal that unites our three countries. European integration has no alternative for our countries, and no third party will be able to influence this sovereign choice. We have already made significant progress in our relations with the European Union. Supported by the strong will of our peoples to become part of the European family, we are united in our determination to work together to ensure recognition of the European perspective for Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which will pave the way for future EU membership of our three states,’ the leaders concluded.