Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili considers getting the EU candidate status this year a significant achievement on the path to European integration.

During the presentation of the government’s one-year report, the PM expressed gratitude to European and American partners for their support in the country’s pursuit of European integration.

“I would like to take this opportunity once again to thank our European and American friends and partners. The contribution of every one of you is crucial; every voice and all support play a significant role.

I want to express my gratitude to the President of the European Commission, all European leaders, Mr. Charles Michel, and Ms. Ursula von der Leyen. I want to thank Mr. Varhelyi, who assisted us throughout the year and was an ardent supporter of our aspirations. Of course, I express gratitude to the leaders of all 27 countries, the EU member states, and their ambassadors, who are present with us here. I sincerely thank our European friends.

I also want to thank the US government, with special thanks to Mr Sullivan. I mentioned a few weeks ago when the European Commission recommended granting status to us, that Mr Sullivan was one of the outstanding supporters of our country’s success on the European path. I had a very successful meeting with him, where we discussed and resolved many issues concerning the relations and partnership between the two countries and our country. Of course, I would like to thank the new US ambassador, who personally came to Brussels to support this success,” the PM declared.