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.

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.