Parliament official: Georgia must receive EU candidacy “based on merit”

Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said it was time for the European Union to “put an end to attempts of the domestic radicals to polarise” the political scene in the country and grant it the membership candidate status “based on merit”.

In his remarks, Okhanashvili called European integration the “only path” selected by its citizens, and added the Government was following the objective.

The proof of this is that in the countries where European policy is made and where important decisions are made, leaders of our team were represented, with each of their meetings based on the progress on the 12-point [conditions outlined by the European Council for granting Georgia the status], and the fact that Georgia rightly deserves the status of a candidate”, Okhanashvili said.

“We should have received the status before - European Union bodies themselves confirmed it. It is time for Europe to take effective steps, put an end to the attempt of radicals to polarise in Georgia and - based on merit - grant our country the status of a candidate”, the Parliament official concluded.