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“Today's event is dedicated to the people who did everything in their power to get the candidate status.

As for the radical opposition, they did everything to prevent the country from getting the status. Among them, one of those who stood in the vanguard of this sabotage was precisely Salome Zourabichvili.

Of course, such people, who did everything against receiving the status, have no place at the celebratory event, let alone the ceremonial stage. This is our very firm position. This event is meant for those who did all they could for the cause, not for those who tried to sabotage the granting of the candidate status. So, in this exact spirit, the work will continue to fulfill the 9 priorities. It is their (opposition's) business, and not a matter of special importance, whether they get involved or not,” said Kobakhidze.

According to Mamuka Mdinaradze, the chairman of the parliamentary faction Georgian Dream, Salome Zourabichvili is not included in the list of speakers, and he does not know “whether she will try to force her way on the stage with taekwondo methods or whatever.”

“A person entrusted as president dares to say about her own country that it did not deserve the candidate status last year or this year. And now the person who says that about her own country tries to sell to the public that she is mood for celebration.

She just wants to get mixed in. This person has no legitimate grounds for being there. She does not have the legitimacy of the president. We did not try to impeach her for no reason,” said Mdinaradze.

President Salome Zourabichvili said yesterday that she is planning to join the event, which will be held today at 17:00 at Freedom Square, at the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, to mark the granting of candidate status to Georgia. According to Zourabichvili, this will be a celebration of all of Georgia and “we should all stand together”. “I am ready to participate in everything, if they invite me to the stand, fine, if not, I will be in the crowd and we will together celebrate the new tomorrow, which marks the beginning of the future of Georgia, glorious future, European future, and I congratulate everyone on this,” said the President.

The government of Georgia submitted its application for joining the European Union on March 3, 2022, although it planned to do so by 2024. The timeline was accelerated due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the start of the war, after Ukraine requested to join the European Union in an accelerated manner. The other two members of the trio associated with Ukraine - Georgia and Moldova - followed suit. In June of the same year, Ukraine and Moldova were granted the status of candidate countries, while Georgia received a European perspective and a 12-point plan to obtain candidate status. The government fulfilled only 9 out of 12 conditions. On November 8, 2023, the European Commission recommended that Georgia be granted the status of a candidate country for EU membership on 9 conditions.

The European Union asks of Georgia to fight against disinformation, foreign information manipulation, and interference regarding its values; improving the compliance of Georgia's foreign policy with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union; to fight further against political polarization - including by working more inclusively with opposition parties in Parliament, especially on legislation related to European integration; ensuring a free, fair, and competitive electoral process, especially in 2024; improving parliamentary oversight, especially over security services. ensuring the institutional independence and impartiality of key institutions - the election administration, the National Bank, and the Communications Commission; completion and implementation of judicial reform, including the comprehensive reform of the High Council of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office; full implementation of the recommendations of the Venice Commission through a transparent and inclusive process; ensure the effectiveness and institutional independence of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Special Investigation Service, and the Personal Data Protection Service; improve the existing action plan on deoligarchization; improve standards of human rights protection, including by adopting an ambitious human rights strategy and ensuring freedom of assembly and expression; initiate impartial, effective, and timely investigations into threats against vulnerable groups, media professionals and civil activists, and bringing the organizers and perpetrators of violence to justice.

On December 14, by the decision of the European Council, Georgia was granted the status of a candidate country for EU membership, and negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on their accession to the EU began.

The European Council will evaluate Georgia's progress next year.