We deserve EU candidate status, otherwise their decision will be difficult to explain - Irakli Garibashvili

“I had a meeting with Mr. Charles Michel, the leaders of a number of European countries, where I spoke with them frankly, my message is simple and very clear and unambiguous - taking into account the reforms and progress achieved, as well as taking into account the difficult geopolitical situation, the country deserves EU candidate status , I clearly told them this,” said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Telavi, answering questions from journalists.

As the Prime Minister noted, otherwise this would be another strategic mistake by the European Union and an extremely unfair treatment of our country and our people.

“Otherwise,” I told them, “it will be another strategic mistake by the European Union and simply a very unfair treatment of our country and our people. It was no coincidence that I told Mr. Borrell at a press conference that Georgians really do not like and this is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable, when we are treated unfairly, we will not tolerate this, just as it is unacceptable to try to put us in the second and third ranks, why?! After all, Georgia has always been at the forefront in the format of the so-called Ukraine-Moldova-Georgia troika.

We are ahead of Moldova and Ukraine in all areas. We wish everyone success, we do not envy anyone, we want to wish everyone further progress, but I want to make one thing clear, which I directly told them, that we are worthy of status, otherwise their decision cannot be explained. I don’t want to get ahead of events, but a negative decision will be absolutely unacceptable and insulting for us, our people, our country, because last year, I remind you, neither Ukraine nor Moldova fulfilled a single priority and they were given this status as an advance, just like that called bonus. We have done so many things this year, we have done them before, we managed to conduct such an open, transparent process, of course the country deserves such status. I have high hopes and very positive messages and signals are coming from Europe. I don't want to get ahead of myself. I think that the last few points that Borrell’s team left us, the last clarifications, then Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze came out and said that we will complete all this very soon, this process will be completed by the end of the month, so that our European friends will not have any reason or excuses not to grant us the status of an official EU candidate,” said the Prime Minister of Georgia.