French President hails Georgian people “whose commitment to democracy, Europe no longer needs to be proven”

The European Commission’s recommendation for Georgia to be granted the membership candidate status was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the French President Emmanuel Macron.

Georgian Ambassador to France, Gotcha Javakhishvili on Thursday said France’s position on Georgia’s European Union integration was “distinctly positive” over the last few months, noting the country positively evaluated the reforms carried out by the Georgian authorities.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday departed for participation in the Paris Peace Forum set to take place in the French capital between Friday and Saturday.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said he believed Georgia would receive the European Union membership candidate status in December following the positive recommendation of the European Commission, and hailed his Government's efforts to ensure “key changes” for the objective despite “coordinated attempts” by “domestic and foreign enemies”. 

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said “any separation” between citizens and the Government of Georgia in assigning credit for the European Commission’s recommendation for the country to receive the European Union membership candidate status was a “Russian narrative”. 

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday congratulated the Abkhazian and Ossetian “brothers” on the European Commission’s decision to recommend the European Council to grant Georgia the membership candidate status, by saying “this victory also belongs to them”.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday highlighted France's support for the country’s European Union integration path.

Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker, on Saturday said the country’s Government, with the support of Georgian society, was able to attain “irreversible progress” on the road to European integration.

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Sunday announced a meeting of the European Union-Georgia Association Council “in the near future”, by saying the country would be represented at the discussion “in a new capacity” following the European Commission’s decision to recommend the European Council to grant the country the membership candidate status. 

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the five percent election threshold would remain “unchanged” for next year’s parliamentary elections, amid demands by domestic opposition groups to decrease it to two percent. 

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday claimed existence of five “myths” about the process and outcome of the country’s application for receiving the European Union membership candidate status.

A report by the European Commission on the European Union’s enlargement policy, published last week, was discussed on Monday in an online meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and the country’s ambassadors to the bloc’s member states. 

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Saturday discussed the close, friendly relations and fruitful strategic cooperation, based on common European values and interests, with his French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné.