site.btaForeign Minister Darchiashvili: Georgia Will Get EU Candidate Status in 2023

This year will see a historic achievement and Georgia will be given an EU candidate status, said Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Friday, emerging from a meeting with Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel. Darchiashvili is on a working visit to Bulgaria. 

"In 2022, the European Council decided to recognize Georgia’s European perspective and this gave us an impetus to continue on the road to EU integration," he recalled. 

According to him, Georgia has a strong will to implement the necessary tasks in favour of the country’s EU perspective. "These are our main priorities, which are shared with the European Commission," he said. 
 
According to him, the EU candidate status is a watershed for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future. These decisions will reconfirm that Georgia will become a member of the EU and the family of European democracies. This shows a need for the EU enlargement process and strategic investments in order to achieve a stronger and more prosperous Union, said Darchiashvili. 

The Minister thanked for Bulgaria’s support for his country's European integration and the recognition of its territorial integrity and said that this is extremely important for the country. Bulgaria and Georgia share a long history of friendship. "We have a huge potential and opportunities," he said. 

According to him Bulgaria is among Georgia’s ten largest partners and there is potential for expanding economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. 

Of Russia’s war in Ukraine, he said that it is impacting the region. It undermines the whole security architecture in the region and not only there, said Darchiashvili. According to him, strengthening peace and security in the region is of utmost priority.