Georgia Looks To Sign EU Pact By June

Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze

Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze has said her country would sign an association agreement with the European Union by June.

Speaking in Berlin at a joint press conference with her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on April 10, Panjikidze said she had "assured" the German foreign minister that Georgia would be ready to sign the agreement in June "at the latest."

Steinmeier said the crisis in Ukraine would not have any effect on the EU signing the deal with Georgia.

"Preparations are ongoing and we are on schedule," he said.

Panjikidze said she would see Steinmeier again "in 10 days in Tbilisi" for further discussions.

The pact with Georgia, and Moldova, was agreed in principle in November at an Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa