Georgian Gov’t has done its “utmost” for Euro-Atlantic integration - PM to Qatar Economic Forum

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday told the ongoing Qatar Economic Forum in Doha his Government had done its “utmost” to ensure the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration over the past decade. 

Garibashvili made the comment at a panel discussion held as part of the Forum, and highlighted the ruling Georgian Dream party had signed the Association Agreement, free trade and visa-free travel deals with the European Union, while also obtaining a European perspective last year - an outcome he said “no one had imagined 10 years ago”. 

• Georgian PM to feature at Qatar Economic Forum

He also stressed his Government's decision to formally specify the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration as Georgia’s foreign policy orientation in the country’s constitution. 

The country was headed to a totally different direction [under the previous United National Movement Government]. This was our decision to put into the constitution that the country’s foreign policy orientation is EU and NATO”, he said. 

In comments on the EU’s forthcoming decision on whether to grant Georgia its membership candidate status, the PM stressed his country was “far ahead” in relevant progress of both Ukraine and Moldova, the two other states of the Associated Trio which, unlike Georgia, were granted the full membership candidate status last year. 

“If we make judgements based on performance of the countries [...] we are ahead of Ukraine and Moldova [by a margin of] two to three - [this is the case] if we are talking about a merit-based approach [to the question of readiness of the countries to receive the status]”, he said.