Romano Prodi Visits Georgia

President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi will arrive today in the Georgian capital Tbilisi from Azerbaijan, as part of his tour to the South Caucasus countries.

Talks with Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze are scheduled for September 18.

In an interview to the RFE/RL, Romano Prodi said that the South Caucasus countries’ EU membership, which have just recently become the EU?s Neighborhood Policy members, is not possible as long as the borders of Europe remain unclear. Prodi acknowledges the EU’s basic treaties that promise membership to all “European” countries. But he says that Europe’s borders are not fixed and change with time, the RFE/RL reported.

He added that the EU, as a ?strong, independent? friend of Russia, can help in resolving what he calls the “frozen conflicts” in the South Caucasus. But he ruled out any EU military presence in the region, at least for the time being.