Georgia celebrates the European Council’s recent decision to grant the nation EU candidate country status.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili stated, “Today signifies a monumental milestone for Georgia and our European family!”
“The unwavering will of the Georgian people has spoken, leading to the well-deserved attainment of candidate status. Georgia’s reunification with its European family is an irreversible prospect!” Zourabichvili says.
🇬🇪🇪🇺 Today signifies a monumental milestone for Georgia and our European family! The unwavering will of the Georgian people has spoken, leading to the well-deserved attainment of candidate status.
Georgia’s reunification with its European family is an irreversible prospect! 🇬🇪🇪🇺
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) December 14, 2023
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili deemed the EC decision “historic,” expressing gratitude to EU leaders for backing Georgia’s candidate status. “From now on, Georgia is a European state, and a European country.”
In his remarks, the PM went on to say “This is truly a well-deserved status that our government has earned for our country and our people. We fought, we won.”
“With great pride and great joy, I congratulate you on the historic decision that Georgia has become a candidate country for EU membership. I want to congratulate each citizen on a historic day.
I’d want to thank Mr. Oliver Verhey, who has been involved from the beginning and has been one of the primary supporters together with Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, and Mr. Charles Michel, who has just phoned me and personally congratulated me on this historic victory, and I also have the honor to convey his congratulations to the Georgian people,” Garibashvili asserted.
🇬🇪 is 🇪🇺 candidate country! Grateful to @EUCouncil 🇪🇺 leaders, @CharlesMichel, @vonderleyen, @OliverVarhelyi for acknowledging 🇬🇪’s civilizational choice. We remain dedicated & eagerly look forward to advancing on our 🇪🇺 integration path.
— Irakli Garibashvili (@GharibashviliGe) December 14, 2023
The Speaker of the Georgia Parliament Shalva Papuashvili noted that ‘Georgia’s rightful obtaining of EU candidate country status today, will be remembered as a watershed event of historic proportions.”
“Since our independence, the main goal of our national effort was to return to where Georgia belonged historically. We have nothing to prove about our belonging to Europe – we were the earliest European Christian nation, an Eastern bastion of Christendom for centuries, one of the earliest fully electoral European democracies over a century ago, and, finally, a nation that, in the past three decades, made a miraculous comeback from Soviet occupation to become a fully deserving candidate member of the European Union.
We, the Georgian people, in our entirety, with all our agreements and contradictions, are the true heroes of this historic feat. But also, our civil servants, police, and armed forces, who worked tirelessly to secure our freedom and independence and take the country to the European family, are the champions of this historic achievement.
And it was the political will of the Georgian Dream government that led the country in the past decade towards the fulfillment of our constitutional pledge and historical destiny. Congratulations, Georgia, and long live your freedom and unity with Europe!” the Speaker underscored.
We are EU candidate nation!
Georgia’s rightful obtaining of EU candidate country status today, will be remembered as a watershed event of historic proportions.
Since our independence, the main goal of our national effort was to return to where Georgia belonged historically.… pic.twitter.com/VSbeor0QGz
— Shalva Papuashvili 🇬🇪 (@shpapuashvili) December 14, 2023
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili deemed the European Council’s decision “an explicit recognition of Georgia’s aspirations.”
“Congratulations, Georgia on this historic day! Our country has been granted candidate status! Today’s decision is an explicit recognition of Georgia’s aspirations, its striving for many years, and the progress achieved! The will of the Georgian government to make Georgia’s civilizational choice a reality remains unchanged. We stand ready to work together with our European friends and partners to bring our country to its ultimate goal – EU membership!” the FM said.
Congratulations, Georgia 🇬🇪 on this historic day! Our country has been granted candidate status! Today’s decision is an explicit recognition of Georgia’s aspirations, its striving for many years and the progress achieved! The will of the Georgian government to make 🇬🇪’s…
— Ilia Darchiashvili (@iliadarch) December 14, 2023
To mark the historic decision, Tbilisi TV Tower and Peace of Bridge have been lit up in EU flag colors.
Earlier today, President of the European Council, Charles Michel announced that “The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and has invited the commission to report by March with a view to taking such a decision. A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent.”
The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova. #EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and…
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) December 14, 2023
For the record, on November 8, the European Commission issued the recommendation for the European Council to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status.
