Georgian FM, European Commission Vice-President for Transparency discuss cooperation
Darchiashvili once again confirmed the Government's “readiness” for cooperation and noted achieving further progress on the path to joining the EU was the country’s Government’s “main priority”. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday met Věra Jourová, the Vice President for Values and Transparency at the European Commission, to discuss cooperation and “ongoing important matters”, the Ministry said.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of Darchiashvili’s visit to Brussels, where he is taking part in an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council to mark the 20th anniversary of 2004 EU enlargement.
The body added the meeting highlighted the “historic decision” by the European Council granting the country the membership candidate status last year as a response to the “civilisational choice” of Georgian citizens and the Government's efforts for becoming an “integral part of the European family”.
Darchiashvili emphasised ongoing reforms in Georgia aimed at bringing the country closer to EU standards, as well as the implementation of the nine conditions set out by the European Commission in November for opening accession talks.
The Georgian official noted the country was “committed to European values and obligations” on the path of integration into the bloc.
The parties also reviewed the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
The Minister pointed out the Georgian Government's arguments for the draft law, while Jourová on her part noted challenges that had “made it relevant to start discussions on similar mechanisms in the EU”.
The meeting also discussed security challenges in the wider region and “difficult humanitarian environment” in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Darchiashvili once again confirmed the Government's “readiness” for cooperation and noted achieving further progress on the path to joining the EU was the country’s Government’s “main priority”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili is set to participate in an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels to mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, when 10 new member states joined the European Union.
The current agenda of bilateral relations and cooperation in international formats were discussed on Friday in a meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide.
The security situation in Georgia and the wider region was discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and a visiting delegation of the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Friday said the decision of the European Council to grant the country the bloc’s membership candidate status the previous day was the result of the Government's “hard work” per the interests of the Georgian people.
The voice of the people of Georgia is “clearly heard” in the European Union, Paweł Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union to the country, on Friday told the public at the event celebrating the European Council’s decision to grant the country the EU candidate status.