Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova signed a memorandum on the establishment of an "Associated Trio" for consultations on the topic of EU integration and negotiations with European institutions.

Earlier, the acting head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI) of Moldova Aureliu Chocoy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani arrived in Kiev.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the "trio" will include three main elements: structuring and consultations on EU integration between the countries, dialogue with Brussels, as well as coordination of the three countries within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

The “Associated Trio” reflects the clear position of our three European countries: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are an integral part of a united Europe and strive to join the European Union, ”stressed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

  • Foreign Ministers of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia

  • © gov.md / globallookpress.com / Reuters

As specified on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kiev, Tbilisi and Chisinau believe that the Eastern Partnership needs to be updated.

Also, within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, regional security issues require increased attention, according to Kiev.

“The participants of the (“ Associated Trio ”-

RT

) emphasize the importance of the EU's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Partners within their internationally recognized borders, as well as strengthening their resilience and countering challenges to their national security,” the memorandum signed by the ministers says.

The members of the "trio" intend to jointly promote a number of goals in dialogue with the European Union.

In particular, Kiev, Tbilisi and Chisinau set themselves the goal of expanding the agenda of dialogue with the European Commission for the sake of expanding cooperation in a number of areas.

It is also planned to "go beyond the DCFTA (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, DCFTA) format and develop additional tools to facilitate and accelerate the integration of the Associated Trio countries into the EU internal market."

The Trio also plans to expand cooperation with the European Union in the field of security and defense, including the issue of countering hybrid threats, and also seeks to be involved in the EU framework programs.

As one of the goals of the new format, the memorandum also states “support for the intensification of EU assistance in the implementation of the“ Associated Trio ”of comprehensive reforms and ensuring access of these countries to the alternative sources of financing and resources available to the EU, including for the implementation of projects representing a common interest".

"Dead end approach"

In February 2021, the foreign ministers of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have already addressed a collective letter to the EU leadership.

In their address, the ministers called on Brussels to move to a new stage of cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership program and to deepen the integration process.

Recall that in April, the heads of the foreign ministries of Ukraine and Georgia have already agreed to coordinate actions to bring countries closer to integration into the EU and NATO.

The ministers paid special attention to the issue of deepening cooperation of the navies of both countries with the Black Sea NATO states.

“The membership of Ukraine and Georgia in the European Union and NATO is only a matter of time,” Dmitry Kuleba said at the time.

In August 2020, the defense ministers of both countries signed a cooperation program between Ukraine and Georgia. 

  • Reuters

  • © Yves Herman / File

As the professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science of RUDN University Yuri Pochta noted in the RT commentary, the establishment of the "Associated Trio" is intended to once again demonstrate the desire of Kiev, Tbilisi and Chisinau to join the EU.

“Of course, these countries have little to suggest to each other in practice.

Of course, they can share their experience, but still the main task is economic development, and with this they are not doing well.

The EU can still financially pull Moldova and Georgia, but Ukraine is too big a state.

Instead of developing the economy, it is engaged in militarization, moreover, with the support of the West.

And this is a dead-end approach, "the expert noted in the commentary to RT.

In turn, the head of the Center for European Studies of the IMEMO RAS, Alexei Kuznetsov, in an interview with RT, recalled that Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have long tried to develop alternative projects in the post-Soviet space.

“Accordingly, now this trinity has finally taken shape,” the expert emphasized.

At the same time Kuznetsov added that the "Associated Trio" is capable of destroying in the future another format of cooperation - GUAM (Organization for Democracy and Economic Development), which includes Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova. 

“On paper, GUAM can exist as long as it wants, but it is already clear that, in general, Baku does not follow an openly pro-Western and anti-Russian course,” the expert noted.

Associative links

Recall that Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia signed an Association Agreement with the EU in June 2014.

Then the documents were signed by the Prime Ministers of Georgia and Moldova, Irakli Garibashvili and Yuri Leanca, as well as Petro Poroshenko, who was then the President of Ukraine.

On the part of the EU, the agreements were signed by the heads of European institutions and the leaders of the 28 member states of the union.

Ukraine then entered into the economic part of the agreement, which implied the creation of a Free Trade Area (FTA) with the EU.

The political part of the document was signed by Kiev back in March 2014, almost immediately after the coup.

The Association Agreement entered into force at the end of 2014, after the ratification of the document by the European Parliament and the Rada.

However, then the agreement worked on a temporary basis, and in addition, provisions on the FTA and issues related to military cooperation and security were excluded from it.

  • Petro Poroshenko after signing the Association Agreement with the EU on June 27, 2014

  • AFP

  • © OLIVIER HOSLET / POOL

The FTA between the EU and Ukraine has been operational since January 2016.

The agreements included the abolition of import duties on nearly half of European agricultural and industrial imports.

In terms of trade items, customs tariffs were significantly reduced.

The Association Agreements between Georgia, Moldova and the European Union entered into force in the summer of 2016.

They also discussed the creation of free trade zones between each of the countries and the European Union.

At the same time, attempts at rapprochement with the EU were initiated by the former Soviet republics back in the 1990s.

Thus, the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between Georgia and the EU was signed in 1996.

Within the framework of the document, Georgia pledged to carry out legal and institutional reforms in accordance with EU standards.

Subsequently, a committee for integration into the EU was created in the Georgian parliament, and the post of state minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration was established.

In 2013, the country received an action plan to liberalize the visa regime with the EU.

In March 2017, Georgian citizens received the right to visit almost all EU countries without obtaining visas.

At the same time, Georgian tourists still need to confirm the hotel reservation and the availability of funds for accommodation, as well as insurance.

The country, along with Ukraine and Moldova, is a member of the Eastern Partnership program.

The Eastern Partnership is a joint programmatic initiative aimed at strengthening ties between the European Union and six former Soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The program was founded in 2008.

For citizens of Moldova, the European Union has canceled visas since April 2014, the visa-free regime applies to holders of biometric passports.

Brussels argues that Moldova's participation in the DCFTA with the EU "does not contradict any other free trade agreements" in which Chisinau participates and "does not limit the ability" of the Moldovan side to export its goods to other countries.

“Internal reforms in Moldova, as well as EU support, will improve the quality of Moldovan goods and services.

This will open up new opportunities for trade outside the EU markets, ensure economic growth and create new jobs in Moldova, ”the EU leadership believes.

Life is waiting

However, not everyone in Moldova shares these optimistic assessments.

In 2017, Igor Dodon, who at that time was the country's president, did not rule out the possibility of the cancellation of the association agreement with the EU.

According to the politician, Moldova lost the Russian market after the document came into force, and the volume of Moldovan exports to the EU only decreased.

Maya Sandu, who won the 2020 presidential election in Moldova, is a supporter of European integration.

While still Prime Minister of Moldova, she called the course of joining the EU and cooperation with Washington as strategic priorities for the country.

  • Checkpoint on the border of Moldova with Romania

  • AFP

  • © DANIEL MIHAILESCU

According to experts, most often, EU candidate countries have to first join NATO.

Ukraine and Georgia have long designated integration into the alliance as their goal, while Moldova retains its non-aligned status.

Moreover, all three countries have territorial disputes and unresolved conflicts.

“Formally, NATO should not accept countries that have territorial disputes and conflicts.

However, if the leadership of the alliance makes a political decision, this rule can easily be broken.

The question is different, that even joining NATO is not a guarantee of joining the EU, ”Yuriy Pochta noted.

The expert recalled the example of Turkey, which joined NATO a long time ago, but has not been able to advance far on the issue of European integration.

“Turkey has been standing in line in the EU for more than twenty years, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are in the same queue.

They are required to have permanent signs of loyalty, so they show them, publicly demonstrate their aspiration to the EU.

However, the European Union is going through difficult times now.

And it is difficult to imagine a large-scale joining of three countries at once to it in the foreseeable future, ”added Yuriy Pochta.

Alexey Kuznetsov adheres to a similar point of view.

“The speed of admission of countries to the EU and NATO is determined not by the efforts of these countries, but by the will of the alliance and Brussels.

And the unification of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in the "trio" will not play any role in this issue.

They are unlikely to wait at all for an invitation to the EU, being underdeveloped countries with a bunch of problems.

Most likely, they will remain on the doorstep of the European Union, or even in the backyard, but they will never become full-fledged members of the EU, ”the expert summed up.