Georgia Aims to Progress to Next Phase for EU Accession Negotiations, Says Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Ilia Darchiashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, stated that following the acknowledgment of the European perspective, Georgia is actively working to attain the status of a candidate country.
According to the foreign minister, the objective is to progress to the next phase, opening negotiations for accession to the European Union. He mentioned that Georgia's primary aim is to become a full member of the European Union, and specific actions will be taken to achieve this goal.
"We have repeatedly said that, for us, the European agenda is one of the main priorities in our foreign policy. Accordingly, after Georgia received the European perspective, we are actively working so that Georgia can achieve and receive the status of a candidate country, move to the next phase, and open accession negotiations. It is a matter of daily work for us to continue and add more momentum to our reform agenda.
Mr. Ambassador rightly pointed out, we are working very actively with Brussels so that the implemented reforms, on the one hand, continue, and on the other hand, with new initiatives, we can bring our country closer to the European family, both institutionally and legally, because this is the main line of our main goal. This is the final, full-fledged membership of the European family, the European Union, and we will take concrete steps in this direction," said Darchiashvili.
Darchiashvili expressed optimism regarding the candidacy status, underlining that this positive outlook is backed by the steps they have taken, their dedicated efforts, and their commitment to advancing the country's ambitious reform agenda. He is confident that these endeavors will be recognized and assessed positively by Georgia's partners.
Foreign Minister mentioned that two main documents were approved within the commissions led by the Prime Minister of Georgia. The first is the action plan for deoligarchization, which is comprehensive and covers various reforms - some already implemented and others planned for the future. The second document outlines an action plan, developed in response to the European Commission's recommendations.
"What is most important is that two main documents were approved yesterday within the commissions held under the respective leadership of the Prime Minister of Georgia. One of these documents is the action plan for deoligarchization, which is extensive and comprehensive. It includes numerous reforms to be carried out in the future, with some already implemented and others continuing in the future.
In addition, based on the relevant recommendations from the European Commission on November 8, we have devised an action plan for the short, medium, and long term. This plan outlines how the Georgian government intends to react and take concrete steps to ensure that reforms are implemented in our country, leading us toward full membership in the European family in a tangible and result-oriented manner," said Darchiashvili.
