PM says Georgia needs “clarity,” “adequate and relevant reaction” from EU on European aspirations
The PM also spoke about the situation in Ukraine, pointing out that what was happening in the country with the Russian invasion was not just a challenge to Ukrainian security, but to the entire European security architecture. Photo: Government Administration
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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.
Speaking at a World Economic Forum panel discussion Rethinking the EU's Partnership with its Neighbourhood, Garibashvili stressed Georgians had paid a “very high price” since regaining independence in the 1990s with two conflicts in the decade in its Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, and a “large-scale war” with Russia in 2008.
The result of this [latter] war is a temporary occupation of our historic territories. We understand the concern that exists in the European Union because they do not want to ‘import’ all these problems into the European family. But we also understand that granting a candidate status does not mean giving a membership. It’s still a long process. We understand that. We have our homework [to do], which is the Association Agreement [with EU]. [But] [w]e need clarity and we need an adequate and relevant reaction from the European Union,” Garibashvili said.
The PM also spoke about the situation in Ukraine, pointing out that what was happening in the country with the Russian invasion was not just a challenge to Ukrainian security, but to the entire European security architecture.
I want to remind you about the war we had in 2008 [with Russia]. At that time, regrettably, we did not see the unity that is there today [with Ukraine]. We welcome this unity. This is great. That’s a very strong reaction of the entire world, of the civilised world,” he noted.
The head of the Georgian Government stressed the country was working on democratic reforms and “all the necessary things” under the 2014 EU Association Agreement.
More than 45 percent of the Association Agreement has already been fulfilled. We have embarked on a very ambitious reform agenda. Since 2014 we have been doing lots of improvements in every direction, whether it is the rule of law, judicial reforms, and open government. In every direction we have made huge progress. We have tangible progress. People see it,” he asserted.
He also noted over 80 percent of the Georgian population supported the idea that “Georgia must become a member of the European family.”
Again, this is not [simply] the choice of our Government. We have been striving, we have been trying to get closer to the European Union for centuries. We have been trying to become a member of the civilised world for centuries. Now we need to manage the expectations of our people, because from our perspective of how we see this process, we believe that we are very loyal to European values [and] principles,” the Georgian PM concluded.
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 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.
Relations between Georgia and Lithuania and the prospects for further deepening of the existing “close partnership” between the states were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Gitanas Nausėda, the President of Lithuania at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
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.
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.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Wednesday extended her condolences to the families of the victims of the mass shooting at a Texas school by saying “words are difficult to find with such violence.”
Georgia is a leader in European Union integration among countries of the Black Sea region in “many directions” and is even ahead of Balkan states that have membership candidate status, Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, said on Wednesday.
Foreign officials on Thursday sent their congratulatory messages to Georgian counterparts and citizens to mark the country’s Independence Day, with foreign ministers of Poland, Greece, Latvia, Bulgaria and Iran being among those who offered their messages of support.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, on Monday said the Government was “doing its best” for European Union member states to make the “decision that Georgia needs” on its EU membership bid.