GD MP: EU Ambassador Harzell could have worked better for Georgia to receive candidate status

Outgoing EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell could have worked better in order for Georgia to get the EU candidate status, Nikoloz Samkharadze, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Georgian state legislature said on Wednesday.

Georgia received European Perspective from the EU Council last month, while Ukraine and Moldova received both, the Perspective and the EU candidate status with conditions.

If Georgia addresses the 12 priorities set by the European Commission, the country has a chance to receive the candidate status by the end of this year.

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze said earlier today that Hartzell had played an “only negative role” in the EU-Georgia relations.

Kobakhidze expressed hope that the new ambassador, Pawel Herczynski, “would be different.”

He claimed that the Georgian Dream party authorities had refrained from making such an evaluation earlier due to several reasons, including because of Georgia’s EU membership bid.

Hartzell, who took office back in 2018, shared his farewell video on Wednesday, expressing gratitude to the host country and its people and expressing hope the country would use its chance to become a member of the EU.

The Ambassador, who was actively engaged to help Georgian political forces to resolve political standoffs while in office, described Georgia as an “amazing, unique country, standing on the shoulders of your ancestors, those who fought for this country, traditions, culture, language and heritage.”