Georgian PM: further strengthening ties with US, EU “crucial,” Gov’t priority
Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday his goal was to “further strengthen” ties with strategic partners of the country. Photo: Government of Georgia press office
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Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, on Friday said he placed “great importance” on “further strengthening” ties and cooperation with the United States and the European Union, pledging to do his “best” to ensure an “even closer partnership” with the US and the bloc.
As the head of the Government of Georgia, I am doing and will do my best to further strengthen relations with the United States and the European Union. This is certainly in the interests of our country. This is a major goal of the Government. We are moving towards Europe. This is an irreversible path. Anything else, any speculation is baseless”,Garibashvili said.
Attending a local holiday in the mountainous Svaneti region, in the country’s north-west, Garibashvili suggested that the local“radical opposition” had “anti-Western goals”, as their “single motivation” was to overthrow the authorities.
The Georgian Government officially applied for European Union membership in March of this year, gaining European perspective by the European Council in June and several-month-term to meet conditions and receive the membership candidate status.
In a bid to fulfil the 12-point conditions set by the European Commission for candidacy, the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed a working format three weeks ago and invited the opposition and the civic sector to work together for the country’s European future.
However, three parliamentary groups have refused to join the work and launched a separate format instead earlier this month, receiving local and international criticism.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has praised a “historic day” for Georgia with his signing of the country’s bid for European Union membership on Thursday, saying the move “continues the efforts of our ancestors, which was aimed at unification in a common European family.”
The Government of Georgia is applying for the European Union membership, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said on Wednesday.
Plans of the “radical opposition” to form a technocratic Government in Georgia have failed, with the group now trying to “discredit” the state legislature through the formation of a parallel working format for work on Georgia’s EU candidacy, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuahsvili said at a briefing on Tuesday.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday criticised the move of three Parliamentary opposition parties to boycott a working group initiated by GD for joint work for the country’s European Union membership candidate status and instead launch a separate format last week.
The “singular goal” of the “radical part” of the Georgian opposition is to overthrow the Government and spark unrest, with the group having “no interest” in Georgia’s European intentions, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday while attending a local holiday in the mountainous Svaneti region, in the country’s north-west.
Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chairman of the Rules and Procedural Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, on Monday said Georgian authorities had “no intention” to issue “any kind of organised attack” on the United States or its Ambassador in the country, ruling out the possibility of such a scenario.