Georgia aims to join EU within 10 years

(WARSAW) - Georgia aims to join the European Union within 10 years, its President Mikheil Saakashvili said in an interview Thursday ahead of a summit between the bloc and six ex-Soviet states.

"It's crucial for us to start our integration with Europe's structures. That could take a few years," Saakashvili told the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.

Asked how long he expected it to take for Georgia to come on board, he responded: "Between five and 10 years".

"Georgia is developing so fast that the point will come when the European Union will not be able to turn down our entry. Our starting point today is better than that of Bulgaria and Romania when they began their entry talks," he added.

Bulgaria and Romania both joined the EU in 2007, taking its membership to the current 27. Fellow ex-communist nation Croatia is due to enter in 2013.

Current EU leader Poland is on Thursday and Friday hosting a summit of the bloc's Eastern Partnership, launched in 2009 with the aim of boosting EU economic and political ties with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Poland was part of the EU's "big-bang" expansion from 15 to 25 members -- most of the newcomers were ex-communist states -- and is a staunch supporter of membership for other countries from behind the former Iron Curtain.

Polish officials have said that the launch of association talks -- the first step to membership -- with Georgia and Moldova could be announced at the summit.