Ruling party head vows authorities "won’t even leave an excuse" against EU candidate status for Georgia
In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted he would have a "detailed presentation" on the implementation of the EU conditions for granting the country the status to the Parliament on Tuesday. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
Tweet 
Share
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the Georgian authorities would "not even leave an excuse for anyone" to block the country from being granted the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted he would have a "detailed presentation" on the implementation of the EU conditions for granting the country the status to the Parliament on Tuesday.
The reality is that we have fulfilled all 12 conditions in principle. Maybe [there are] certain issues that the European Commissioner has talked about - we will have detailed explanations on that as well. In the end, we will not even leave an excuse for anyone to block us from being granted the candidate status”, Kobakhidze said.
“You know who is inside the country - and maybe there are forces outside the country too - who do not want to see Georgia receive the status of a candidate country, but we will do everything so that the European Council makes a positive decision”, the party official told the local media.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday told the Parliament he had confidence that the country had “more supporters than opponents” in Europe in its efforts to be granted the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said if the European Union did not grant the country the membership candidate status this year, the decision would be “another strategic mistake” on the part of the bloc.
Charles Michel, the European Council President, on Thursday pledged his body’s support for Georgia’s European integration efforts, saying “much” in the process would be dependent on the country’s implementation of the 12-point conditions outlined by the bloc last year for granting its membership candidate status to Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Wednesday said the European Union “cannot afford to lose Georgia” and to “have Georgian citizens disappointed again” in the upcoming decision on whether to grant the country the bloc’s membership candidate status.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said some domestic opposition parties’ refusal to engage in the implementation of the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was a “step against depolarisation” of the domestic political environment.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said failure to grant the country the European Union membership candidate status later this year would be a “bad signal”.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said he hoped Georgia would receive the European Union membership candidate status later this year, and added the authorities would "have to explain to the public more details than we have done before” in the case of the bloc's decision result in it not granting the country the status.