Georgian PM hails EU Ambassadors for EaP visit as “strong support message” ahead of candidacy decision

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibnashvili on Monday hailed the ongoing visit of a delegation of European Union and member states for the Eastern Partnership Initiative, composed of 19 high-ranking officials, as a “strong support message” ahead of the European Commission’s upcoming report on Tbilisi’s meeting of the conditions for receiving the European Union membership candidate status. 

The meeting with the delegation of 17 officials from the member states and two from the EU summarised Tbilisi’s “progress” on its EU path, the Government press office said. The diplomats represent the bloc and the states within the 2009-launched EaP initiative for facilitating reforms and strengthening political and economic ties between the EU and its six Eastern European partners including Georgia. 

The PM commended the initiative as a “powerful mechanism” for his country to “successfully continue” the European integration process, ensure “close economic rapprochement” with the bloc and achieve “tangible progress” in the direction, and also named the 2014 Association Agreement, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Deal, visa-free travel, and “strengthened security, energy and transport” cooperation with the bloc as a “demonstration” of the “progress” achieved. 

I greatly appreciate your support for Georgia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations”, Garibashvili told the diplomats and stressed their visit “in a defining moment between the EU-Georgia relations is a visible confirmation of your support for the country’s European future”. 

He further noted “strong partnership between the EU and Georgia is the result of our joint efforts, which have brought very concrete results”. 

Hailing the bloc’s “historic decision” last year to grant the country a European perspective and a reform agenda for obtaining its candidacy, Garibashvili said Tbilisi was expecting “another historic decision” by the bloc on the status this year, which he said could determine the country’s “European future”. 

Dirk Schuebel, the Special Representative of the EU for EaP, noted Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia could make “good use” of the initiative in the future for their further rapprochement with the bloc. 

Highlighting the “important timing” of the visit, he said its goal was to further discuss the potential of the initiative, and added the latter had been largely focused on connectivity and security issues since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. 

Together we are already doing a lot in both directions, although I believe that we have more potential. The major goal of the visit is to fully use the potential [of the initiative] and to exchange views for this”, Schuebel said. 

He reaffirmed the visit was a “confirmation” of the bloc’s support for Georgia "at such an important time”, and stressed the EU “stands by Georgia and we have no doubt that the country will become its member in the future”. 

The meeting discussed the Georgian Government's efforts to meet the candidacy conditions outlined last year, with Garibashvili highlighting the country’s authorities had “done their utmost” to fulfil the recommendations and expressing his hope the European Commission report would “properly reflect” the work and recommend the European Council to grant Georgia the status.  

He also pointed to Georgia's “advanced” positions on its European integration path, which he claimed had been “evidenced” by the bloc’s reports.