Gov’t committed to fulfilling “historic mission” on European integration - FM

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Wednesday asserted the country’s authorities were committed to fulfilling the “historical mission” of the country’s European integration, a task he said had been “entrusted” to the authorities by the people.

The official’s comments for Imedi TV, which came following the European Council’s decision this month to grant Tbilisi the European Union membership candidate status, also highlighted the “historic” move had created a “legal basis” for the country’s eventual accession to the bloc. 

Pointing to the Government's work for EU integration, the FM claimed it had “not wasted a minute to push forward with our ambitious reform agenda”, adding the work continued and the achieved result was a “huge contribution of each public servant [and] each diplomat”, to whom he extended gratitude for the efforts.

Discussing the “challenging path” of integration, Darchiashvili emphasised not only Georgia but also recent entrants to the bloc had encountered difficulties. Expressing disappointment with last year's decision denying the country the candidate status, the official commended the Government's” relentless pursuit” of its reform agenda.

He also assured transparency over the nine conditions outlined by the European Commission in November for opening accession talks with Tbilisi, claiming there were “no secrets” in the action plan elaborated by the authorities to meet the conditions.

The action plan outlines specific dates, steps for each recommendation, and the responsible institutions. We are working openly and consistently with the Commission, and once finalised, the document will be made public”, Darchiashvili said. 

The Minister also claimed statements by a part of the domestic opposition had “impeded” the integration process, alleging they “could not overcome their political agenda” and had “knowingly or inadvertently” hindered the work.