Georgian FM Zalkaliani: Georgia must gain candidate status for EU membership by 2030
Zalkaliani also stressed the importance of the Eastern Partnership Economic and Investment Plan of the EU which offers €3.9 billion to help Georgia improve transport and logistics connectivity. Photo: David Zalkaliani/Twitter.
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Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that Georgia must gain candidate status for EU membership by 2030 at a presentation of his ministry’s 10-year action plan earlier today.
Zalkaliani noted that the goal is to apply for EU membership in 2024 and to get the status of a candidate for membership by 2030.
Everyone is well aware of the ambitious goal that the [Georgian] government has announced - to apply for EU membership in 2024. But that is not the end of our main goal, then by 2030, we should get the status of a candidate for membership,” said David Zalkaliani.
Applying for???????? membership in 2024& receiving candidate status by 2030 are important constituents of????????'s foreign policy - accentuated given topic at the presentation of the 10-year Action Plan of the @MFAgovge. Talked about the useful mechanisms in this direction - #AA, #EaP, #A3 pic.twitter.com/2V7kI6q7Yn
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) August 9, 2021
He also underscored that the negotiation with the EU should be started in line with the process of gaining the status of a candidate for membership to transpose its legislation onto Georgian legislation.
Minister Zalkaliani stated that the goal of getting the status of a candidate for EU membership is possible to be achieved through ‘the implementation of the coordinated measures, concept and action plan developed under the leadership of the [Georgian] Prime Minister within the framework of the Georgian EU Integration Commission,’ Zalkaliani said.
Zalkaliani also stressed the importance of the Eastern Partnership Economic and Investment Plan of the EU which offers €3.9 billion to help Georgia improve transport and logistics connectivity.
The Georgian government announced its plan to apply for EU membership in 2024 before the parliamentary elections of 2020.
The European parliament has called on the EU and NATO to maintain a close alliance with its aspirant countries, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Georgia for the security and stability of the region. The statement also calls on transatlantic partners, such as Georgia, to maintain regular contact in the areas of arms control, military transparency and any other issues related to security.
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi has stated that the European Union stands by Georgia during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili earlier today. Oliver Varhelyi said that Georgia has overcome its recent political crisis and it is now possible to start working on a new stage of cooperation.
The European Union (EU) will allocate €3.9 billion to help Georgia improve transport and logistics connectivity, announces Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili after the meeting with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi today. The €3.9 billion aid package consists of a €1.17 billion grant and the rest is a loan.
Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister David Zalkaliani has presented his ministry’s 10-year action plan and 10 main goals of his ministry which mostly focus on EU membership and deoccupation. Zalkaliani started the presentation of the plan with a discussion of the 13th anniversary of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war which took place yesterday and stated that ‘13 years ago Russia attempted to forcibly change the state borders of a sovereign country.’