Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair: granting EU candidate status to Associated Trio “very important geopolitical decision”
The Parliament official noted the Georgian Government was still “hopeful” that both Georgia and “our friendly countries” would be granted EU membership candidate status. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, on Wednesday said granting the European Union member candidate status to the Associated Trio countries of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova was not a “technical or bureaucratic” question but a “very important geopolitical decision”.
The Parliament official noted the Georgian Government was still “hopeful” that both Georgia and “our friendly countries” would be granted EU membership candidate status.
We are still hopeful that both Georgia and our friendly countries will be granted candidate status because it is not a technical decision or a bureaucratic one. Here is a very important geopolitical decision”, Samkharadze said.
Earlier this month Samkharadze said the country had made “significant progress” on its European integration path and expressed hope the European Union would make the “correct decision” and grant it the EU member candidate status.
He stressed granting the candidate status would be an “important message” not only for the Georgian public but also for Moscow, “clearly” reminding the Kremlin that it could no longer continue its “aggressive and destructive actions” against Georgia.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Wednesday said providing support for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and countries in the South Caucasus was “more important than ever,” vowing the EU would continue strengthening ties with the partnering states.
This is not the time for the European Union to “look critically” at Georgia, Ukraine or Moldova when a “political decision” on the countries’ membership bids are to be taken, Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, said on Friday.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, on Friday said the country had made “significant progress” on its European integration path and expressed hope the European Union would make the “correct decision” and grant it the EU member candidate status.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday said the country’s application for European Union membership was the result of the “tireless” and “unwavering” efforts of the Georgian people aimed at “regaining a place in the family” of European nations.
If the European Union makes a decision on Georgia’s membership bid based on “facts and merits”, the country “truly” deserves the candidate status, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said on Wednesday in an interview with Imedi TV.
Gia Volski, a ruling party MP and the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said he was “confident” the European Council would analyse “in depth” the “reality created around Georgia” and grant the country the European Union membership candidate status.
Irakli Chikovani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said he was “convinced” the resolution on violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia, adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday, would not “cast a shadow” over the “progress made” by the country.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, on Monday said granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status would be a “good motivation” to pursue “necessary reforms”.