French, German FMs to Visit Moldova, Georgia

Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, Laurent Fabius and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, respectively, will pay a joint visit to Moldova and Georgia as part of their agreement to intensify coordination between France and Germany including towards regions and countries of particular interest for the EU.

The announcement was made after the French and German foreign ministers met in Paris on January 21. According to a joint declaration after the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed “to significantly intensify cooperation between France and Germany” and to “consult one another routinely” before meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. They also agreed to make joint trips “to regions of particular interest to both countries and the European Union” and to then report on these trips to their respective national parliaments.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at a news conference after the meeting that first such joint visit would be made to Moldova and Georgia. No exact dates have yet been announced.

Georgia and Moldova initialed their respective Association Agreements, including deep and comprehensive free trade treaties with the EU in late November at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.

EU leaders decided at a summit in Brussels in late December to speed up the process and to sign the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova “as soon as possible and no later than the end of August 2014.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)