Ruling party head calls on “radical opposition” to “stop campaigning against” Georgia being granted EU candidate status

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday called on the “radical opposition” in the country to “stop campaigning against” Georgia being granted the European Union candidate status.

Kobakhidze said Georgia’s status in being ahead of fellow membership applicants Moldova and Ukraine “in all parameters” relevant to the status was widely recognised in his comments criticising the political opposition.

We call on the radical opposition to stop campaigning against [Georgia] being granted the European Union candidate status. Everyone knows very well that Georgia is ahead of Ukraine and Moldova in all parameters. Consequently, only a political decision remains to be taken by the European Union,” the GD official said.

The ruling party official noted “only those who want to cause unrest” and “get the country involved in war” could oppose the process of the country gaining EU candidate status.

Statements from the Georgian Dream party have accused a part of the opposition in “deliberately harming the country's interests in the international arena” in parallel to the ongoing deliberation by the European Commission on Georgia’s membership bid.

On May 10, Georgia’s Prime Minister handed over the second completed part of the EU membership questionnaire, filled out by the country ahead of schedule, to Carl Hartzell, the Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia.

Based on the questionnaire, the European Commission will prepare an evaluation report on granting the candidate status to the country, with the relevant decision expected by the end of June.