Whether to grant Georgia EU candidacy status will be a decision of 27 member states, and this choice will be in the interests of the EU, Maka Bochorishvili, Chairperson of the parliamentary European Integration Committee, told the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB).

According to Bochorishvili, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are European countries sharing European values. Georgia has had an intensive strategic partnership with the EU since 2014, and it has made tremendous progress and capped the cooperation by signing Association Agreement with the EU.

Maka Bochorishvili noted the EU is careful about the expansion issue bearing in mind internal differences in opinions.

“Until recently, when talking about our European prospects, the EU was very cautious, but it’s no secret today that the geopolitical environment, Russian aggression, and the war in Ukraine have had a striking effect on the thinking and attitudes of European politicians,” Bochorishvili said.

The Chairperson of the European Integration Committee believes the EU should open its door to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova for its security and future.

“I expect the European leaders to make the right decision and to make it clear that these three countries will join the EU when they meet the membership requirements,” she said.

The European Council will revert to preparing opinions on EU membership applications of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia during the meeting in June.