Georgian FM says country’s future “belongs in EU” on Europe Day
In his message over the date, Darchiashvili said the country’s goal of joining the bloc would be “definitely achieved”. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday marked the annual Europe Day by saying the future of the country “belongs in the European Union”.
In his message over the date, Darchiashvili said the country’s goal of joining the bloc would be “definitely achieved”.
The future of Georgia lies in the European Union, and it has no alternative. We will continue to implement the agenda of comprehensive, future-oriented European reforms, and we firmly believe that the process of Georgia's European integration will be successfully completed”, the Minister said in a social media message.
The top Georgian diplomat added the granting of the EU membership candidate status to Georgia last year was “the most important step forward” on the path, and had taken relations with the EU to a “new strategic level” and made Georgia's European integration an “irreversible process”.
Paweł Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, on Thursday said the bloc wanted Georgia with its “unique culture and traditions” to become a part of “our European Union family”.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Gert Jan Koopman, the Head of the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, on Thursday discussed Georgia’s integration into the European Union and the country’s current agenda.
Implementation of the nine steps outlined by the European Commission for opening European Union accession talks with Georgia was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Gert Jan Koopman, the Head of the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday highlighted the country’s “civilisational choice” of integration into the European Union in his address to an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council of the bloc, hosted in Brussels to mark the 20th anniversary of 2004 enlargement of the EU.