Georgian PM: Georgia's EU accession a “civilisational choice” of its citizens
The PM also said “whatever brings” Georgia closer to the EU and to membership is “acceptable,” and emphasised the country “would do its maximum” to get closer to the Union and the “ultimate goal” of membership. Government's Administration.
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Georgia's accession to the European Union is a “civilisational choice” of the country’s citizens and is not simply a matter of the Government, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos on Wednesday.
Speaking at the panel discussion Rethinking the EU's Partnership with its Neighbourhood, Garibashvili noted Georgia had been a “very reliable and loyal” partner to the Union “because Georgian people share the same values and principles” as the European member states of the EU.
“In 2014 we signed the Association Agreement with the European Union. This is the main document. This is the roadmap for our ultimate goal, which is full-fledged membership. Since then of course we have signed the free trade agreement; we have had some tangible results such as the visa-free travel, which is also very important to the Georgian citizens; and just recently, we submitted our application for European Union membership,” Garibashvili told the panel.
The PM also said “whatever brings” Georgia closer to the EU and to membership is “acceptable,” and emphasised the country “would do its maximum” to get closer to the Union and the “ultimate goal” of membership.
At the panel discussion, the Georgian Prime Minister was accompanied by Natalia Gavrilita, the Moldovan Prime Minister, Alar Karis, the President of Estonia and Alexander Schallenberg, the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria.
Georgia's submission of an official application for European Union membership marks a new stage of the country's relationship with the EU and in the process of its integration into the Union, the Head of the Georgian mission to the EU, Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, said in an interview released by Imedi channel on Thursday.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has signed the application for European Union membership on behalf of the country, noting the “historic day” in his address to citizens.
The importance of the applications for European Union membership submitted by Georgia and Moldova, and priorities for their full EU integration were reviewed on Tuesday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Moldovan counterpart Natalia Gavrilița at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has convinced the Georgian population that the country will benefit more from closer ties with the European Union and NATO than with Russia, a new survey released on Thursday by the US National Democratic Institute and CRRC Georgia said.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said the country needed “clarity and adequate and relevant reaction” from the European Union regarding its European aspirations.
Georgia knows it belongs to Europe and Europe should now make relevant conclusions, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos on Wednesday.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday addressed citizens in countries of the Western Balkans as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia by telling them “you are part of our family, your future is in our Union, and our Union is not complete without you”.
The European Union on Monday published an evaluation on the effectiveness and impact of the bloc’s cooperation with Georgia between 2014-2020, with the document noting the partnership “has been strategically sound and has benefitted from a strong institutional setup in its design and implementation”.
“All genuine results” achieved on Georgia’s European integration path are the “merit” of the current government of the country, prime minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday at a press conference in Tbilisi with Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement.
The future of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and of their citizens lies within the European Union, a document published on Tuesday by the Council of the EU said following a meeting of Government ministers involving the bloc’s member states.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday briefed Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, and heads of missions of European Union member states in the country over his Government’s efforts to ensure the bloc’s membership candidate status later this year.
The Georgian Government on Monday announced it was planning amendments in domestic laws to simplify procedures for obtaining the country’s citizenship.