Italian Deputy FM pledges support for Georgia’s EU integration in Tbilisi
Edmondo Cirielli, the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, is visiting Georgia. Photo:dire.it
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Edmondo Cirielli, the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, on Wednesday pledged his Government's support for Georgia’s European integration in a Tbilisi meeting with his Georgian counterpart Teimuraz Janjalia, the Georgian foreign office said.
Saying Georgia had “always been a part of Europe culturally”, the visiting official stressed the country’s people could count on Italy’s support on its European integration path.
The comment came ahead of the bloc’s decision whether to grant Georgia its membership candidate status by the end of this year, following the country’s official application for EU membership in March 2022.
The meeting between the officials reviewed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, its commitment to meet the conditions outlined by the EU last year for granting the status and bilateral cooperation, with a focus on political, economic, defence and security cooperation, the foreign office said.
The discussion also involved Georgia’s NATO integration and Tbilisi’s preparations for the alliance’s forthcoming summit in Vilnius in July.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Wednesday reviewed bilateral cooperation with Edmondo Cirelli, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, in a meeting in Tbilisi.
Obtaining the European Union membership candidate status for Georgia is a goal that has “no alternative” for the country, President Salome Zourabichvili said on Monday in a press briefing in Vilnius with her Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nausėda.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has signed the application for European Union membership on behalf of the country, noting the “historic day” in his address to citizens.
Georgia is requesting the European Union membership candidate status the country has “deserved” through its 30-year “struggle for democracy” and reforms implemented by the Government over the past nine years, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Monday.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Edmondo Cirielli, the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, on Wednesday, welcomed the friendly relations and close ties established between the two countries and reaffirmed their readiness to continue close cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed “corruption processes” behind the United States Department of State’s decision to designate four Georgian former and current judges for sanctions for their “involvement in significant corruption”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday discussed the country’s progress on its Euro-Atlantic integration path and ways to further improve communication with Georgian communities abroad in a meeting with members of the country’s diaspora in Italy.