Watch Tbilisi landmarks illuminated in EU flag colours after obtaining candidate status - [VIDEO]
The hilltop TV tower overlooking Tbilisi and the Bridge of Peace, as well as the Government Administration building and the National Bank, were all illuminated in the EU flag colours. Photo via EU delegation to Georgia
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The European Union Delegation to Georgia on Saturday released a scenic reel of capital Tbilisi’s landmarks illuminated in the colours of the EU flag in a symbolic move after the European Council granted Georgia its membership candidate status on December 14.
Watch a scenic reel of the ????????EU flag-coloured ????????Tbilisi landmarks ????????????#EUEnlargement pic.twitter.com/BbmWz3wWaT
— EU Delegation Georgia ???????? (@EUinGeorgia) December 17, 2023
The hilltop TV tower overlooking Tbilisi and the Bridge of Peace, as well as the Government Administration building and the National Bank, were all illuminated in the EU flag colours.
Tbilisi also hosted the celebration event on the occasion of obtaining the candidate status at the central Freedom Square on Friday, with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Paweł Herczyński, the EU Ambassador to the country, as well as high officials, addressing the public.
The European Commission on November 8 recommended the Council to grant the EU candidate status to Georgia.
Georgia officially applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, after accelerating the initial plan to submit the membership application by 2024.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday hailed the efforts of the country’s population and its Government in obtaining the European Union membership candidate status on Thursday, making the comments in a public celebration dedicated to the “historic victory” in Tbilisi.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream and Tbilisi Mayor, on Friday joined the celebration event at the central Freedom Square on the occasion of obtaining the European Union membership status on the previous day, and congratulated the citizens on the “victory”.
The Government Administration building is on Friday illuminated in the colours of the European Union flag in a symbolic move after the European Council decided to grant the country the European Union membership candidate status, the Administration said.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday reacted to the country being granted the European Union membership candidate status by saying Europe was “neither just a geography nor just a political unity” for Georgia but represented “our worldview, our spirituality and our natural state”.
Leaders and officials from governments across the West on Thursday congratulated Georgia on receiving the European Union membership candidate status, following the summit of the European Council that endorsed the bloc’s enlargement package on Thursday.
December 14 will be recorded as “a historic day”, starting today Georgia is a European state, the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Thursday following the European Council’s decision on granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Saturday said the European Union had acknowledged the importance of peace and stability in the Eastern Partnership countries of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, “otherwise Europe will not be at peace”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday lauded the efforts of the state authorities for ensuring free trade agreements with a diverse range of states, while also commending increased wine exports and expanding internet coverage within the country.