EU Candidate Status Should Not Be a Cast-Off Bone: Zurabishvili

The provision of EU candidate status should not become a cast-off bone for Georgia. It should also be followed by other decisions. This was stated by President Salome Zurabishvili in an interview with France Info radio. TASS reports this information.

“Europe should not just hand us the status so casually; it should not be treated as a thrown bone. This status must be accompanied by European support,” said Zurabishvili.

The president added that a key moment in relations with the EU should be the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in the republic in the autumn of 2024. She believes that as a result of the elections, the country should transition from a single-party government to a coalition government.

Earlier, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced that the institution recommends that the EU Council begin negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine regarding membership and grant candidate status to Georgia. The European Commission has positively assessed the reforms implemented in Georgia but stated that the country still has some work to do.