Outgoing French Envoy Speaks of Ties with Georgia

France fully backs Georgian territorial integrity, a fact reflected in talks between the presidents of the two countries last month, outgoing French Ambassador to Georgia, Phillip Lefaur, said.

The French ambassador’s comments were made in separate interviews with the Georgian dailies, 24 Saati and Rezonansi.

?It was a really successful dialogue between the leaders of our countries,” he told 24 Saati. “The French foreign minister [Bernard Kouchner] pays special attention to Georgia and recognizes its importance, not only for the Caucasus region, but for Europe as well.? 

In relation to Georgia’s accession to NATO, Ambassador Lefaur told Rezonansi that Georgia needed to continue reforms in all fields in order ?to move onto the next stage of relations? with the alliance.

Georgia is currently in Intensified Dialogue (ID) with NATO. ID with NATO is viewed as a precursor to being invited to enter the alliance’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is seen as the last stage leading to NATO membership.

The ambassador also commented on the potential civil nuclear reactor for Georgia. The issue was discussed during the meeting between President Saakashvili and the chief executive of France?s AREVA, Anne Lauvergeon, in Paris on June 13.

The issue is at an early stage and neither Georgia nor AREVA have yet given the go-ahead to the project, Ambassador Lefaur said. He added, however, that the project ?will be quite profitable.?

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