PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze told the audience at the Commonwealth Club in California that membership in the European Union and NATO is the choice of the Georgian people and the country deserves this, Agenda.ge reports.

Bakhtadze said he will try to make people remember Georgia with three figures: 1, 28 and 8,000.

He said that 1 defines the historic moment for Georgia when the country elected the first female President Salome Zurabishvili last year.

She is also the first female president in the region," Bakhtadze stated.

Moving on to the second figure Bakhtadze said that 28 years have passed since Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union.

28 years ago we have chosen the own way of development. The own way of democratic development." Bakhtadze said, adding that during the time the country has been transformed into the regional leader for democracy and the easiest country for starting up business.

Bakhtadze said that Georgians started winemaking 8,000 years ago.

When one does one and the same thing for 8,000 years, they are masters in the job," Bakhtadze stated.

Bakhtadze said that Georgians are brave, devoted and optimistic people, who face challenges from Russia for now as 20 percent of the Georgian territory is occupied.

The country with 8,000 years of history of winemaking which experienced 70 years of Soviet occupation will no longer enable Russia target its future. We are fully controlling our fate and aim to create a developed country. Reintegration of our territories will take time. However, we will definitely achieve the goal, only peacefully," Bakhtadze said.

Bakhtadze said that membership in the EU and NATO is the choice of the Georgian people and the country deserves this.

He also mentioned the education reform and stated that the Georgian government's aims to provide high-quality education in the country to settle major economic and territorial problems.