PM says Georgia needs “clarity,” “adequate and relevant reaction” from EU on European aspirations

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.