Parliament official: Georgia “definitely” deserves EU membership candidate status
In her remarks over the matter, Botchorishvili highlighted the country’s progress in implementing the EU conditions for receiving the status. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Monday said the country “definitely” deserved the European Union membership candidate status but noted it was a “political decision that must be made by the [bloc’s] 27 member states”.
In her remarks over the matter, Botchorishvili highlighted the country’s progress in implementing the EU conditions for receiving the status.
Georgia deserved [the status] last year already, based on the geopolitical situation and technical conditions, it is [on the same level as] the countries that were granted the status of a candidate country”, the Parliament official said in reference to Moldova and Ukraine receiving the status in 2022.
“We have made significant progress in this direction [implementation of EU recommendations]. If we take everything together - the geopolitical context, Georgia's readiness to be a candidate country, the process of implementing the recommendations - Georgia really deserves to be granted the status. But again, this is a political decision for the 27 member states to make”, Botchorishvili concluded.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday said the “only path” of ensuring Georgia's sovereignty and independence ran through the country’s membership in the European Union and NATO.
Georgian officials representing various state bodies and agencies on Wednesday launched consultations with the European Union as part of the bloc’s enlargement package, the country’s foreign office said.
Charlie Flanagan, the Chair of the Irish Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, on Tuesday said the future of Georgia lay “firmly” in the “European Union family”.
European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday said the Council of the European Union must make a decision on starting the process of negotiations on the accession of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia to the bloc by the end of this year.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday claimed the goal of the domestic “radical” opposition was to see the country fail to receive the European Union membership candidate status and see war break out in Georgia amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Tuesday said he hoped Georgia would become a member of the bloc, noting the outcome would “bring enormous benefits to the country”.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said it was “wrong” to think that “something” could be “achieved” in Georgia by confrontation, revolution and overthrowing the Government.
Bilateral relations and cooperation between Georgian and Danish legislative bodies were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between chairs of committees of the Georgian Parliament and the Speaker of the Danish Parliament Søren Gade.