Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze said he was very pleased to hear the statement made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a speech delivered at the congress of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday.

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the statement that Europe should expand from Lisbon to Tbilisi is very significant. Germany has a special role in Georgia’s European integration. He noted that many positive messages in support of Georgia were made in Berlin.

“This political support is very significant for us and of course, feels us with optimism that Georgia will receive the candidate status soon and join the EU afterwards,” Kobakhidze said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a speech delivered at the congress of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Berlin said: “Today, when Russia tries to alter the borders between freedom and autocracy with force, we are the people of Europe and our voice must be heard throughout Europe, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from Lisbon to Tbilisi and beyond.”

The Party of European Socialists (PES) congress on Friday adopted a resolution, supporting “the granting of candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and the readiness to grant it to Georgia.”

The Georgian delegation, led by the ruling Georgian Dream party Chair, Irakli Kobakhidze, is participating in the PES congress in Berlin, Germany.