Swedish ambassador: EU has opened door to Georgia, “clearly recognising” country’s European perspective
Tideström said he hoped Georgia would use the opportunity and implement the conditions for receiving the membership candidate status from the bloc. Photo: 1tv.ge
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Ulrik Tideström, the ambassador of Sweden to Georgia, on Tuesday said the European Union had opened its door to Georgia and “clearly recognised” the country’s European perspective.
EU leaders have also said the future of Georgia and its citizens “lies in the EU”, the Swedish diplomat noted, with the country now having a “homework to do” over the matter.
Tideström said he hoped Georgia would use the opportunity and implement the conditions for receiving the membership candidate status from the bloc.
The European Union opened its door to Georgia. We have clearly recognised the European perspective of Georgia and the leaders of the European Union have also stated that the future of Georgia and its citizens lies in the European Union. The EU has also given Georgia the opportunity to obtain the candidate status when the priority list is fulfilled. So the door is open”, he said.
“Homework is now for Georgia to do. I sincerely hope that Georgia will use this opportunity and fulfil the 12 priorities in substance and also within the framework of a broad and inclusive process. So now it depends on Georgia. We will of course continue to support within this process and beyond it”, Tideström concluded in his comments.
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 are addressed by the Georgian government.
Speaker of the Georgian parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said once the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status were implemented, Georgian authorities expected the bloc to assess the process “as quickly as possible” and make an “appropriate decision”.
The United States “strongly supports” the desire of Georgia and Moldova to join the European Union, Karen Donfried, the United States assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on Tuesday.
The 2022 national security strategy of the United States outlines the country will support “European aspirations” of Georgia and Moldova and their commitment to “important institutional reforms”.
Georgian finance minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Tuesday said the United States was Georgia’s “strategic partner”, adding the quality of cooperation between the sides and its further development was “very important”.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the domestic “radical” opposition was campaigning against the country receiving the European Union membership candidate status.
Hans Wallmark, a member of the Swedish parliament Riksdag on Saturday said he had expectations of “positive signals and changes” in Georgia after the European Commission would evaluate the implemented EU conditions, as the country has been a member of the European family.
The European Union has recognised Georgia's European perspective, and it is up to candidate countries to reform their economies and their institutions and “advance towards our Union”, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Wednesday.
Cooperation between defence committees of Georgian and Swedish parliaments, security of the Euro-Atlantic space and the Black Sea region were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between a Georgian parliamentary delegation led by Irakli Beraia, the Chair of the Defence and Security Committee of the lawmaking body, and Peter Hultqvist, the Defence Committee Chair of the Swedish Parliament.