Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili said in his Independence Day speech on Thursday that the “return to its European family” has been the choice of the Georgian people, stating that the country expected a “fair and far-sighted” response by the EU on its recent bid for membership to the bloc. 

“We are expecting a wise, far-sighted, politically justified and, most importantly, fair decision, a recognition of our historic aspirations, our tireless efforts, our commitments to the integration process and the reforms that have been implemented," Garibashvili said. 

He stated that Georgia was celebrating its Day of Independence this year with a “historic moment.” 

“On March 3, I signed Georgia's application for EU candidate status. It is no exaggeration to say that this marked the beginning of a whole new stage in the history of Georgia,” Garibashvili suggested. 

He reiterated that this day was preceded by a “great deal of hard work” by many people. 

“I want to thank everyone. I always emphasize that the European future is a program defined by the Georgian nation for all Georgian governments and an action plan which has no alternative,” Garibashvili said. 

He stated that the Georgian Dream authorities ”have taken concrete steps”   for the country’s European integration. 

“In the short term, we have taken a number of effective steps to bring the country  closer to EU standards,  including large-scale legal, political, economic, defense, security, governance or democracy reforms. We continue this work. We have ensured the longest period of peace in recent history and we have launched an unprecedented, long-term process of peaceful development," Garibashvili noted. The EU is expected to release its report on  Georgia, following the  country’s bid for membership, next month.