Today, March 16, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, as part of his visit to Brussels, met with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.
The government administration reports that the face-to-face meeting at the European Commission emphasized Georgia’s progress toward European and Euro-Atlantic integration and reforms implemented under the Association Agreement. Special attention was paid to the importance of deeper economic and sectoral integration into the EU. The Georgian Government has an ambitious plan to apply for full EU membership in 2024, the Prime Minister pointed out, and political and economic reforms to that end continue.
Following the face-to-face meeting, enhanced-format talks were held with the participation of Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister, Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Georgian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Head of Georgian Mission to the EU Natalie Sabanadze.
The parties discussed challenges and difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Head of Government underlined the EU’s invaluable support in the fight against the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. The importance of vaccination for overcoming the pandemic was singled out, and so was the need to ensure equal access to the vaccine for all countries.
The Prime Minister and the European Commissioner discussed Georgia’s political situation. According to Irakli Garibashvili, the authorities are ready for result-oriented political dialogue. The Head of Government underscored the EU’s effort and the engagement of President of the European Council Charles Michel in this process, both personally and through his envoy, Christian Danielsson, a fact emphasizing Georgia’s importance to the EU, according to Garibashvili.
The meeting also discussed regional processes and the dire humanitarian situation in Georgia’s occupied territories, and the Georgian Government’s peace policy toward conflict regulation. The parties reaffirmed strong support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
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