German Chancellor backs accession of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Western balkan states to EU
In his speech at the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavík, Scholz noted the Council of Europe had an “important” role to play in ensuring democracy. Photo: Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz / Twitter
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said a "lesson" of the "turning point" of the ongoing war in Ukraine was to support accession of Ukraine, Western Balkan states, Moldova and, "in the future", Georgia to the European Union.
In his speech at the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavík, Scholz noted the Council of Europe had an “important” role to play in ensuring democracy.
The Council of Europe @coe is more important today than ever before.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) May 16, 2023
There’s an inseparable link between the rule of law, democracy and the protection of human rights at national level and peaceful coexistence at international level. #CouncilOfEuropeSummit pic.twitter.com/bHFzP3C6U1
“The Council of Europe must do everything in its power to ensure that democracy, human rights and the rule of law actually gain a foothold everywhere in Europe”, Scholz said.
“Eventually Russia's war against Ukraine will end and one thing is for sure. It will not end in a victory for Putin's imperialism, because we will support Ukraine until a just peace is achieved”, he noted.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said his country’s “key message” at the ongoing Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik was that it “deserved” to receive the European Union membership candidate status by the end of this year.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday said a delegation from the lawmaking body had “practically received guarantees” from Italian and Maltese “top officials” of their backing for granting the European Union membership candidate status to Georgia in December.
Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Georgia's Ambassador to the European Union, on Tuesday said the country’s Government was working to “open all doors” to get “as close as possible” to the bloc, in a meeting of ambassadors of Georgia to EU member states in Berlin.
Georgian ambassadors in European Union member states, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and officials from the country’s foreign office on Wednesday gathered in Berlin to discuss coordination and efforts for Georgia’s EU membership candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday told the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe the ruling Georgian Dream party Government was “doing everything” to ensure “continuous peace” in the country.
The significance of the European Union granting Georgia its membership candidate status and the country’s advancement in European integration were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on Wednesday discussed bilateral ties and Georgia’s European integration prospects on the sidelines of the ongoing Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik.
The Georgian delegation, led by Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday, participated in the plenary session of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs and highlighted the adoption of a declaration supporting the expansion of the European Union in terms of Ukraine, the Western Balkans, Moldova and Georgia.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the European Union must make a “conscientious and fair” decision on the country’s membership candidate status later this year and allow Georgia to move to the next stage in its European integration process.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday claimed a part of the domestic opposition was “doing everything to hinder” the country’s European integration and disrupt upcoming decisions on whether it would receive the European Union membership candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday extended his gratitude to the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his “open” support for Georgia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday clarified that Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s upcoming Friday’s visit to Germany had been planned in April after the “close consultations” between the countries’ Foreign Ministries, and called on everyone not to “mislead” Georgian society and harm the country’s interests “when evaluating Georgia's foreign policy and our European integration”.
Georgia and Moldova on Tuesday signed memorandums on cooperation in economic, technical and scientific fields and on boosting investment and export opportunities between the countries, as part of the second session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.