FM: Association Council meeting “very important impetus” for accelerating European integration
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. Photo: MFA of Georgia
Tweet 
Share
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.
At the meeting of the Georgia-EU Association Council, we had the opportunity to discuss all important issues in a bilateral format with our European partners and friends. I am sure that today's meeting of the Council will be a very important impetus for the acceleration of our European integration in the future”, the top Georgian diplomat said.
In his remarks over the meeting, Darchiashvili underlined the words of Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who said “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”.
We should hope that the calls made from Brussels will be correctly and timely perceived by all the participants who should be involved in this process [of implementation of EU conditions]. It is our great hope that this inclusiveness will be one of the main motives of this process”, Darchiashvili said.
On June 24, the European Council granted the membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and said it would be ready to grant the same status to Georgia once the outstanding priorities outlined by the European Commission were addressed by the Georgian Government.
On July 1, the ruling Georgian Dream party presented its strategy for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status.
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.
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 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.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the European Council had “confirmed Georgia’s clear European perspective” in June, in comments following the EU-Georgia Association Council meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, on Wednesday called “all political actors” in the country to “heed the message from Brussels” and take part in the work on implementing conditions for obtaining EU membership status for the country.
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.
Ruling Georgian Dream party head Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the messages voiced during and after the recent European Union-Georgia Association Council meeting in Brussels this week on the country’s European integration process were “very positive”.