EU candidate status could be an ‘existential’ message to Tbilisi, Georgian ambassador says

May 29, 2022 08:00 am Cyber Security 170

Gaining EU candidate status would be a crucial and existential political message that today the door is open for Georgia, and there is light at the end of the tunnel, Tbilisi’s Ambassador to the EU, Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, told EURACTIV.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:

Georgia regrets that it takes a war to think about enlargement as a transformative process.

Granting EU candidate status should be done for each country in the Associated Trio but Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine could move at different speeds afterwards, depending on fulfilment of integration criteria.

Tbilisi sees the Trio format as still relevant, and foresees this ‘chemistry’ and ‘cooperation’ to continue in the future.

The issue of candidate status is a crucial, ‘existential’ message for Tbilisi. Acquiring it would mean ‘the door is open’ and there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.

It is too early to comment on new proposals, such as French President Emmanuel Macron’s ‘European political community’.

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Some have described the timing of the application of the Associated Trio as ‘a bombshell.’ Georgia previously announced it was planning to apply in 2024. How do you see the internal collaboration between the partners now that the geopolitical situation has changed? Do you think there is an imbalance between the Trio as they start on this journey?

With your permission, I’ll actually briefly reflect on what you said about our application and it being “a bombshell”. I certainly agree with you – Georgia has been preparing for this for many years.

Since the beginning of independence in the earl ..

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