Georgian PM: Government has “fulfilled order of citizens” with EU free trade, visa-free travel deals, ongoing membership bid
The Prime Minister emphasised his Government had a very “active foreign policy,” through his own visits to European capitals for “highest level” meetings discussing “successful implementation” of reforms in the country, adding it was the “merit” of the ruling Georgian Dream party that Georgia had several agreements with the EU and had officially applied for membership on March 3. Photo: Government's Administration.
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The Georgian Government has “proved” its loyalty to the European Union and “honestly fulfilled the order of country’s citizens” by concluding the 2014 Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU, reaching the 2017 deal on visa-free travel with the Union, and submitting the ongoing formal bid for EU membership, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Monday.
At the Government meeting, the Prime Minister noted Georgia had “thoroughly” fulfilled “all the obligations and conditions” it had made with the EU and was waiting for the decision regarding the membership candidate status.
Garibashvili also highlighted the newly appointed Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili was “actively communicating” to his European colleagues regarding the country's European aspiration, adding Georgian FM had held more than 20 meetings with his counterparts of the EU member states recently.
The Prime Minister emphasised his Government had a very “active foreign policy,” through his own visits to European capitals for “highest level” meetings discussing “successful implementation” of reforms in the country, adding it was the “merit” of the ruling Georgian Dream party that Georgia had several agreements with the EU and had officially applied for membership on March 3.
Garibashvili also said his Government was following “all the ambitious” plans and reforms it had undertaken in a “planned and consistent manner”.
"We understand very well that this will not be enough - we are continuing this process, the reforms that we have undertaken. We have now completed work on the Association Agenda with the European Union, which details all the reforms and commitments we need to make. An entire set of the commitments, reforms and initiatives have been selected from the well-known agreement [mediated by the European Council President] Charles Michel [and reached between the Georgian Government and the domestic opposition on April 19, 2021]”, the PM said.
Garibashvili also acknowledged the EU membership process would be a “very long and difficult” road.