Georgian, Western Balkan diplomats hold consultations on European integration in Tbilisi
Officials from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia are joining their Georgian counterparts in sharing experience gained by their states in their work for European integration. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Consultations on European integration are underway in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi between the deputy ministers of foreign and European affairs of Georgia and the countries of the Western Balkans, the Georgian foreign office said on Tuesday.
Officials from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia are joining their Georgian counterparts in sharing experience gained by their states in their work for European integration.
Coordinating steps to be taken in the process, and creating a “common agenda” around matters of common interest are also among the objectives for the meetings, coming under the Georgian Ministry’s initiative for establishing consultation formats at various levels with Western Balkan countries.
In addition, a meeting with Georgian students will be held at the Information Centre about NATO and the European Union, with high-ranking officials from the Western Balkan countries reviewing the experience gained by their countries on the path of European integration.
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.
Jerry Buttimer, the Chair of the Irish Senate, on Friday said the position of the Irish Parliamentary Friendship Group was that the European Union enlargement should include Georgia.
Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is hosting the first-ever series of consultations between high-ranking diplomats of Georgia and the Western Balkan countries of Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia on matters related to their European integration.
The European Union has confirmed its commitment to the Eastern Partnership and willingness to make it “more flexible and tailored” to the needs of partners, the European Council said on Monday following a meeting of foreign ministers of member states and EaP.
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.