Ruling party Sec Gen “convinced” country will receive EU candidate status “in near future”

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said he was “convinced” the country would receive the European Union membership candidate status “in the near future”. Photo: Tbilisi City Hall

Agenda.ge, 22 Jun 2022 - 13:03, Tbilisi,Georgia

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said he was “convinced” the country would receive the European Union membership candidate status “in the near future”.

Kaladze highlighted “important steps” taken by the Georgian Government on the European integration path, in particular the 2014 Association Agreement with the European Union, the Free Trade Agreement with the bloc, and visa-free travel to the Schengen zone for Georgian citizens.

We will get the job done and I am sure we will obtain the [EU membership] status in the near future. [...] We must do everything possible so that our country becomes a member of the big family of Europe and the European Union as soon as possible”, the GD official said.

In a reference to the domestic opposition, Kaladze noted the Government would not allow “destructive forces” to achieve their goals and “hinder the development” of the country due to “narrow partisan interests”.

The European Commission on Friday recommended to the European Council that Georgia should be given the perspective to become a member of the European Union. The Commission recommended the country be granted the membership candidate status once certain priorities in different areas of the reform agenda are addressed. 

The European Commission will monitor Georgia's progress to address these priorities and report on them by the end of 2022.