Georgian PM: Georgia took European perspective with great responsibility, to ensure highest political and economic compatibility with EU
He also highlighted the “active role” of the EU in its support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognised borders and stressed the need to fulfil the agreement on the ceasefire through the mediation of the EU. Photo: Government Administration.
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Georgia took the European perspective with great responsibility, to ensure the highest political and economic compatibility with the European Union, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday at the press conference held after the 7th session of the Georgia-EU Association Council.
The Head of the Government said Georgia fully felt the “responsibility and commitment” to all the 12 priorities outlined by the Council for granting the country candidate status and noted the “historic decision” to grant the country the European perspective has placed Georgia in an “absolutely new reality” showing “new target orientations”.
Today's Council meeting is a very important event, since after the historic decision [of the European Commission to grant Georgia the European perspective] we are meeting for the first time in such an expanded format, we will see Georgia's progress on this complex but very motivated path, and this path will lead us to where Georgia believes it naturally belongs. We have common values and common goals, we support peace and solidarity”, said Garibashvili.
He also highlighted the “active role” of the EU in its support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognised borders and stressed the need to fulfil the agreement on the ceasefire through the mediation of the EU.
We had a conversation about the ongoing war in Ukraine, including the ways to peacefully resolve the Russian-Georgian conflict, which had started in 2008, [...]. Since then, Russia has occupied 20 percent of our country”, the Head of the Government added.
The European Council’s decision to grant Georgia European perspective and the “effective steps” needed to be taken by the country to receive the membership candidate status were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative in Brussels.
The process of joining the European Union must be based on the consensus of the “whole nation” and everyone should work together, not only the government but all political parties, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said on Tuesday at the joint press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi in Brussels.
The “historic decision” by the European Council to grant Georgia the European perspective and the Georgian Government’s progress in fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the Council for granting the country candidate status were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.
The “positive dynamics” of Georgia's implementation of its 2014-signed Association Agenda with the European Union were discussed between Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Sven Mikser, the Rapporteur on Georgia of the European Parliament on Tuesday in Brussels.
Immediately after the decision of the European Council to grant Georgia the European perspective, the ruling Georgian Dream party presented a specific strategy, with particular deadlines for each priority, and started an “inclusive process”, in which the opposition parties, the Government and civil society have been involved, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday at the press conference held within the framework of the 7th Georgia-EU Association Council.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday expressed his confidence that the Georgia-European Union Association Council meeting would prove a “very important impetus” for the acceleration of the country’s European integration.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, on Tuesday said Georgia was a “country with a recognised European perspective” and called for a “message of encouragement” in comments following the EU-Georgia Association Council meeting in Brussels.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said domestic “radical” opposition groups that refused to participate in work for Georgia obtaining the European Union membership candidate status had been “shown a red card from the European Union’s highest tribune”.
The European Union-Georgia Association Council highlighted the “historic importance” of the decision of the European Council to recognise the European perspective to Georgia and underlined the future of Georgia and its citizens “lies within the European Union”, in a joint press statement on Wednesday.