The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called on the Georgian government to implement reforms, enhance compliance with the EU's foreign policy, and bolster the fight against anti-Western disinformation.
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Today, at the press conference held after the meeting of the Association Council, Josep Borrell addressed the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, and noted that coming to Brussels on his first visit abroad demonstrates that his is taking Georgian path to the European Union very seriously.
“We have entered a new strategic phase in our relations… hard work starts in front of you. Being a candidate country requires a new level of effort and also increases the responsibility of the government, opposition, civil society, and all parties. Every Georgian should be involved in the implementation of reforms,” said Josep Borrell, noting that he has three messages for Georgia:
“First, you have to accelerate the implementation of reforms, including those of the Association Agreement, to meet the nine steps of our European Commission’s recommendation. And for that, you have the asset of a vibrant civil society and it is important to have everybody - as I said - on board. This requires taking decisive steps to decrease political tensions.
Second, our Union is a Union based on common values and principles. This foundation has become increasingly important because we are living in a very difficult and even dangerous geopolitical context. We welcome your strategic choices towards the European Union’s membership. We note the increase, a slight increase, but an increase at the end, in alignment with our foreign and security policy decisions. We expect a significant increase in this alignment in the coming years.
We are also worried by the proliferation of anti-Western disinformation and rhetoric in Georgia, and we encourage you to redouble efforts to fight information manipulation and foreign interference. We are going to see more of that in the next European Union elections and maybe in your elections too.
And the third one is, this year will be an important test for Georgia’s democracy. I link it to the previous reference to your electoral process. We welcome the electoral reforms undertaken so far and encourage you to finalize them well ahead of the upcoming elections, addressing all relevant Venice Commission and ODIHR recommendations for free, fair, and competitive parliamentary elections,” said Josep Borrell.
According to the High Representative of the European Union, in September of last year, when he was in Georgia, he was struck by the high number of EU flags everywhere in the streets of Tbilisi, which shows the "strong commitment" of Georgian citizens to the European Union.
“You have the responsibility to deliver on these expectations, and we have also the responsibility to seize with you this historic opportunity and step-up our efforts for Georgia becoming member of the European Union, to increase your resilience, in full respect of your independence and sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Borrell said.
On February 20, the 8th session of the Georgia-EU Association Council was held in Brussels. The session was chaired by Josep Borrell, the Georgian delegation was led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the European Commission was represented by European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
