PM Garibashvili: Georgia pursuing very active foreign policy to obtain EU candidate status

Georgia is pursuing a very active foreign policy to obtain the status of EU candidate following the country’s bid for membership to the bloc earlier in March, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Monday at the regular governeral meeting.

Garibashvili stated that “on his instructions” a newly appointed FM Ilia Darchiashvili has held more than 20 meetings with 17 counterparts from EU member states, including foreign ministers.

“He also has meetings scheduled for this and next week. Darchiashvili had very intensive talks about the situation in the country, about the reforms we have implemented and all this information is fully provided. I have also visited Brussels and held high-level meetings with European colleagues and officials,” Garibashvili said.

He reminded the public and the EU that it was the “merit” of the Georgian Dream authorities that the country signed the Association Agreement with the EU and achieved visa free travel.

“Now we are honored to submit an application for official membership,” Garibashvili stated.

He reiterated that the membership process was not easy, and that gaining the candidate status did not necessarily mean membership.

“We are not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that we, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, may get this status. I want to state with full responsibility that Georgia has been a distinguished reformer and leader among the Eastern Partnership countries for the last nine years,” said the PM.

Georgia applied for EU membership back on March 3 of this year and submitted a self-assessment questionnaire on May 10.