French, German ambassadors highlight EU support for Georgia’s integration bid
The diplomats stressed “constructive dialogue” had a “great value” in the process. Photo: Nino Alavidze / Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
Sheraz Gasri, the French Ambassador to Georgia, and Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to the country, on Friday said the European Union would continue to stand by Georgia as the country “progresses towards the candidate status and the EU membership”.
In a joint statement, the diplomats noted the bloc and Georgia had a “historic opportunity” represented by the prospect of the status being granted to the country in December and marking the next step in the “long-standing” partnership and friendship between the sides.
Joint statement by French and German ambassadors in Tbilisi
— Peter Fischer (@Diplo_Peter) September 29, 2023
???????? @Sherzag ???????? ???????? @Diplo_Peter pic.twitter.com/F4oSAM3zYs
We call on all political forces in Georgia to unite behind this goal and to work together to achieve it. In this regard, we welcome the series of recent and future visits from Georgia to EU capitals and EU institutions in Brussels with meetings of Heads of State and Government, various members of government as well as between a broad representation from the Parliaments”, the statement said.
The diplomats stressed “constructive dialogue” had a “great value” in the process.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday expressed his “optimism” about the country being granted the European Union membership candidate status later this year.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday reviewed cooperation and the country’s European integration in meetings with his Finnish, Irish and Italian counterparts on the sidelines of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Dublin.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said “those in Europe who support postponement of granting the [EU] membership candidate status to Georgia for another year” were “acting against not only Georgia but Europe as well”.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Thursday said the European Union “should not repeat its mistake” of failing to grant Georgia its membership candidate status in 2022 and make a positive decision on the status in December, a move he claimed would reveal the bloc’s “attitude to the long struggle of the Georgian people” for the country to regain its place in the “European family”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Monday said the European Union should “not delay making important political decisions” to “create a solid basis for enlarging space of peace, security, and prosperity”.
Irakli Beraia, the Chair of the Defence and Security Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Monday said it was “crucially important” for partners of Georgia to “step up” their support for the country to strengthen its defence and deterrence capabilities and resilience against “full spectrum of hybrid threats”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday discussed his Government's efforts to meet the European Union’s conditions for granting Tbilisi its membership candidate status with Paolo Gentiloni, the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, as part of his Strasbourg trip.
Georgia's progress in implementing the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Didier Reynders, the EU Commissioner for Justice.