This post was written by Hatchet reporter Brigid Godfrey.

The president of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili spoke about Georgia’s transition to democracy and plans for the future to a 100-person audience at the Jack Morton Auditorium Thursday.

Georgia is located in one of the most continually changing areas of the world, he said during the talk. The country has made a point to work toward Western integration, even though 15 percent of the population has become refugees, Margvelashvili said.

Here are the main takeaways from his speech:

1. Becoming a democracy

Margvelashvili said this year will be the first parliamentary election with “Western-style” campaigns, even though the country has officially been independent for more than two decades.

This year is also the 25th anniversary of the Georgian Independence Referendum, in which Georgian citizens voted to exist as an independent state after the fall of the Soviet Union, he said.

“We are a country that has built a relatively workable democracy that can change the government through elections,” Margvelashvili said.

He said developing the nation into a completely free and democratic state will not be easy, saying that new systems and functional institutions would have to be introduced, a process that cannot be completed overnight.

2. Integrating into Europe

Margvelashvili said he is working to integrate Georgia into the European Union and into European society.

“We are first, culturally, a European nation,” Margvelashvili said. “We have targeted our state development as a free and democratic state.”

Margvelashvili said Georgians hope to be part of the EU and NATO soon.

“We have identified the international alliances where we believe we belong to and to where we are committing to,” Margvelashvili said.

The transition has been tough for the Georgian government to reach the benchmarks required by those institutions to become members, he added.

3. Working toward a peaceful future

Margvelashvili said the current occupation of parts of Europe by the Russian Federation is an “embarrassment” that Georgia would not be a part of.

“We are a friendly neighbor,” said.

He hopes to continue Georgia’s current peaceful relationship with neighboring states Armenia and Azerbijan, he said. He said his country has a dedication to goodwill and peace.

“I hope the future is peaceful,” Margvelashvili said.