Parliament Speaker says he hopes efforts will be “appreciated” with EU candidate status
The chief Georgian legislator also claimed “sabotage” from a part of the domestic opposition in lobbying against the country being granted the status. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said he hoped efforts made by the Government for meeting recommendations for the country to be granted the European Union membership candidate status would be “appreciated” with a positive decision on it at the end of the year.
“We are waiting for the assessment [on the efforts] by the European Commission on November 8. November 8 is the birthday of Ilia Chavchavadze [Georgian publicist, author and a major figure of the country's 19th century national movement] and we celebrate his birthday. I hope that on November 8, the work that Georgia has done will be appreciated, and the country will have the EU membership candidate status”, Papuashvili said.
The chief Georgian legislator also claimed “sabotage” from a part of the domestic opposition in lobbying against the country being granted the status.
“The status is given to the country, the state - the state is its Government, which represents the Georgian citizens”, Papuashvili noted.
Papuashvili’s comments come after Khatuna Samnidze, an opposition MP and the Chair of the Republican Party, last week said “specific representatives” of the opposition were “hindering” the process of Georgia receiving the status.
Samnidze noted the unspecified opposition groups had “intensified” their alleged efforts against Georgia’s EU candidacy “in recent days”, which she said was “confirmed” by international partners.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili will on Thursday feature in a conference on European Union enlargement hosted in Germany’s capital city of Berlin.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said a “positive” decision on the European Union membership candidate status later this year would “strengthen” the Georgian Government ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Sunday, said she expected “a positive decision” on the country’s European Union candidate status, as Georgia “has made every effort” to fulfil the 12 priorities outlined by the bloc for granting its status.
The importance of “further deepening” the existing relations between Georgia and Montenegro was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Montenegrin counterpart Dritan Abazović.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday said the participation of Georgian Government officials in a conference on the European Union enlargement, set to be hosted by Germany’s capital city of Berlin, would be used to show the country’s partners “not only how much Georgia needs the European Union, but also the European Union itself needs Georgia”.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the party had “optimistic expectations” regarding the country being granted the European Union membership candidate status.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvi on Thursday said his Government was “committed” to European integration, and noted “tangible results” and “all grounds” for Georgia to receive the European Union membership candidate status.
Romanian and Slovenian officials on Thursday expressed their support for Georgia to be granted the European Union membership candidate status in December at a conference hosted in Berlin on the bloc’s enlargement.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday declared appreciation for the support of Romanian and Slovenian governments for Georgia’s European Union membership candidate status.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the 2024 Parliamentary Elections in the country would be an “object of observation”, and highlighted the importance of ensuring “a lot of engagement” to counter a “huge flood of disinformation”.