Georgia deserved EU candidate status, not conditions in 2022 - ruling party Sec-Gen

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed Georgia did not need the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union last year for it to receive the membership candidate status because the country “deserved” to receive the full status in the decision.

Kaladze told local media Georgia deserved to receive the status “far more” than Ukraine and Moldova - the two states that received it - for its level of democratic development. He added “all indicators” by “all international organisations” over the years showed Georgia’s place ahead of the two other states of the Associated Trio.

The official said the country’s authorities would have the conditions “fully completed” by the end of this month, putting the decision on the status “in the bloc’s court”. 

Kaladze also claimed only the Government and not the domestic opposition should be credited with efforts to meet the conditions, in reference to the refusal of a part of the opposition to participate in the work.

“I hope the European partners will make the right decision on the status [later this year]”, Kaladze said, claiming the country deserved it for the reforms implemented by the authorities since their taking of the office in 2012. 

Georgia officially applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, along with Ukraine and Moldova, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.