Georgian minister: gov’t “actively working” on EU conditions, opposition joining process would be “good”
In his remarks over the matter, Shamugia noted the country would “definitely” receive the status. Photo: Government Administration
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Georgian agriculture minister Otar Shamugia on Tuesday said the government was “actively working” to fulfil the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status, adding it would be “good” if the domestic opposition joined this process.
In his remarks over the matter, Shamugia noted the country would “definitely” receive the status.
All elements, both the parliament and the relevant government agencies, are actively involved in the process of fulfilling each point of the EU recommendations, and in this process we are actively cooperating with the EU. I am sure that all the recommendations, which are provided for the country to receive the candidate status, will be fulfilled by us”, Shamugia said.
The government official stressed it was “necessary” to have “active” involvement of both the government and the opposition in this process.
The government is ready for this - we have repeatedly stated that we are ready to jointly implement the recommendations of the European Union. It is all in our common interest, it is in the interest of our country, and I think that the involvement of the opposition would be really positive in the process - although, of course [the decision] is up to them”, he concluded.
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 would be addressed by the Georgian government.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union’s ambassador to Georgia, on Tuesday said he hoped the visit of Oliver Varhelyi, the EU commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, to the country would push the relations “even further”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Monday said the European perspective, granted by the European Council to Georgia in June, was “truly a huge step forward” in terms of the country’s accession to the European Union.
Irakli Chikovani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said the “absolute majority” of conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status would be implemented by December.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Monday said the “historic decision” by the European Council to grant Georgia the European perspective set a “new reality”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Tuesday said the progress made by Georgian authorities on the country’s European integration path was “tangible and undeniable”, adding the country had proven it was a “reliable partner” of the EU.
Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, discussed international food safety at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture ministerial in Berlin between January 18-21, the Ministry said on Monday.