Georgia's EU aspirations “strongest ever” - FM at Hungarian ambassadorial
Ilia Darchiashvili, the Georgian FM, on Tuesday addressed Hungarian diplomats as a guest of honour. Photo: Foreign Ministry press office
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Georgia’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday met with his Hungarian colleague Péter Szijjártó and attended an annual meeting of Hungary’s ambassadors, where he told the diplomats his country’s European aspirations had “never been as strong as today”.
In a meeting with his counterpart in Budapest, and in his address to the diplomats, the Georgian official extended his gratitude to the country’s Government for its “firm and unwavering support” for Georgia’s EU integration, the Georgian foreign office said.
Highlighting Tbilisi’s “strong commitment” to the country’s European future, Darchiashvili called it a “long but result-oriented process”, and added Georgia “deserved” the bloc’s membership candidate status “to continue on its way to the next stages for membership”.
We are confident that leaders of EU member states will make another historic decision [after granting Georgia a European perspective in June 2022] this year and grant Georgia the candidate status. We appreciate the active support of Hungary and the Minister personally, which is especially important for us in this crucial period", the Georgian Minister said.
For his part, Szijjártó reaffirmed his Government's “firm support” for Georgia’s EU integration and stressed the country’s authorities had “done everything” to obtain the status, before emphasising Georgia’s “special role” for Europe in terms of security and energy diversification.
The European Council has been scheduled to decide on Georgia’s candidate status in December, following the final report by the European Commission in October that would assess the country’s implementation of the required reform agenda.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the visiting Hungarian Defence Minister, on Monday discussed bilateral cooperation, strategic partnership and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
The existing relations between Georgia and Hungary, as well as the prospects of future cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats, were discussed on Thursday by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán.
Georgian Ambassador to Hungary, Tamar Liluashvili, on Wednesday said Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili would hold high-level bilateral meetings during his visit to Budapest, where he would “once again” highlight the “existing close relationship” between the two states.
Péter Szijjártó, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary on a visit to Georgia, on Thursday noted the Georgian Government’s work to preserve the country’s sovereignty amid increasing external pressure.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó on Tuesday said Georgia “must receive” the European Union membership candidate status this autumn, as the Georgian Government had “done everything” for the outcome.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday highlighted the “important role” of the institute of the country’s Honorary Consuls for developing trade, economic and cultural cooperation with partner countries, attracting investments and encouraging tourism.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and László Kövér, the President of the National Assembly of Hungary, on Monday discussed priority areas of bilateral trade and economic cooperation in a meeting held as part of the latter’s official visit to Georgia.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday highlighted his “devotion” to Georgia's European Union membership on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Granada.