Prime Minister Gharibashvili Emphasizes EU Candidate Status as Crucial for Minimizing Polarization in Georgia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, June 2, 2023
According to Irakli Gharibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, the key message delivered to European colleagues emphasized that granting Georgia the status of an EU membership candidate would automatically reduce and minimize polarization within the country.
"One of the main points I conveyed to our European colleagues was that if Europe and Europeans genuinely desire to witness a reduction in polarization, granting candidate status to Georgia would naturally lead to the minimization of polarization within the country. This quality would be automatically diminished. They listened to this argument, and I believe they found it compelling," stated Gharibashvili.
The Prime Minister of Georgia expressed pride in the government's tangible efforts towards the country's European integration and NATO membership. He highlighted significant achievements, including signing the association agreement for free trade, establishing a visa-free regime, and submitting the official application for European perspective. The Prime Minister emphasized continuous efforts in the NATO integration process, with Georgian troops actively participating in missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Central African Republic. He expressed confidence that the collective dedication and motivation would yield concrete results, bringing Georgia closer to Europe and NATO.
"If any government has made significant progress on the path towards our country's European integration, as well as towards NATO, it is our government. Personally, I had the privilege of signing the association agreement for free trade and establishing a visa-free regime. During my tenure, we fulfilled the obligations and achieved the visa-free regime. I also had the honor of signing the official application submitted last year, which resulted in obtaining a European perspective. Regarding NATO, our efforts have not ceased. We have been one of the main contributors, with our troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and during my prime ministership, we sent troops to the Central African Republic. I firmly believe that our strong desire and motivation will yield concrete results. Together, we should strive to bring our country even closer to Europe and NATO," the Prime Minister said.
