“WE HAVE ATTAINTED AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF EU INTEGRATION – GEORGIA IS EU CANDIDATE COUNTRY” – ILIA DARCHIASHVILI

“Receiving the European Union membership candidate status has been a great and well-deserved victory for the country. The Government is ready and mobilised to make further progress towards the EU membership”,  Ilia Darchiashvili, the candidate for the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, said when speaking at the joint session of the Georgian Parliament's European Integration and Diaspora and Caucasus Affairs Committees, where he discussed in detail the EU integration, the success achieved on this path and the future plans.

Our next goal is to start accession talks. Efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be directed towards the maximum use of the opportunities received as a candidate, as Georgia has moved into the EU enlargement package, and at this stage, work is underway to update and strengthen the institutional mechanism of bilateral cooperation between Georgia and the European Union”, Darchiashvili told MPs.

The Minister stressed the Government had new ambitious plans for integration - in particular, for increasing the connectivity between Georgia and the EU on the Black Sea as an indispensable priority, including through implementation of strategic projects provided for by the Eastern Partnership economic and investment plan.
Darchiashvili also focused on the progress in NATO integration by saying that the country had tangiblble results in the process. a set of tailored support measures for Georgia, endorsed by the Allies at the 2022 Madrid summit, and the communique of the 2023 Vilnius summit reaffirming the Allies' unwavering support for Georgia and its sovereignty and territorial integrity.