Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova reaffirm their aspirations to join EU

The presidents of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on Monday jointly proclaimed their commitment to a European future, standing with European Council President Charles Michel in what amounted to a triple rebuff of Russia, which has menaced all three countries in an effort to thwart their Western aspirations.

The striking display of pro-EU unity came at the annual Batumi Conference, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast.

“We have a lot in common,” Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili said, standing with Michel, alongside Maia Sandu of Moldova and Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine.

European Council President Charles Michel, who is also in Batumi, outlined the prospects for further cooperation, but did not address the issue of the republics’ EU membership. “The European Union will remain a strong, reliable partner for your region. “We hope for your continued commitment to reform, not for the approval of Brussels, but for the benefit of your people and your society,” he said. Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are members of the Eastern Partnership initiative to develop a dialogue between the EU and the post-Soviet countries. In Batumi, they were promised unprecedented financial assistance from Europe – 2.3 billion euros.