“We will be ready for EU membership by 2030; the main thing is that processes in the European Union also move in a different direction,” Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has declared.

Axar.az informs, citing 1tv.ge, according to the PM, trends in the EU regarding democracy, human rights and the economy are concerning.

“You know what our foreign policy priority is. First and foremost, it is European integration. This is our declared goal, and we have also announced that by 2028, we will fulfil more than 90% of obligations arising from the Association Agreement. We will be ready for full EU membership by 2030. The most important thing is that processes in the European Union also move in a different direction during this time.

Today, the trends are concerning regarding democracy, human rights and the economy. Unfortunately, there is regression in all directions. We hope that these trends in the European Union will change and the democratic system will recover across the EU before we are ready for EU membership in 2030. Human rights will be better protected and the economy will strengthen,” Kobakhidze declared.

The Prime Minister added that “the EU cannot be associated with hatred.

“In 2022, we refused to join the war, and unprecedented blackmail began thereafter. First, they didn’t grant us EU candidate status without any justification, then they repeatedly acknowledged that Georgia is the most advanced among all candidate countries,” Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

According to the Head of Government, despite this, Moldova, Bosnia and other countries were granted candidate status, whilst Georgia was not.

“It’s clear what this is about. We refused to fulfil demands, and they began using European bureaucracy for blackmail against the Georgian people and Georgia’s government thereafter. This is very regrettable.

The European Union should not be associated with phenomena such as hatred, and it is evident that, today, European bureaucracy is being linked to such issues. They openly demanded the return of the United National Movement to power when they called on people to come out to polling stations and vote for the return of the UNM. The European Union cannot be associated with such things in the Georgian people’s perception,” the Prime Minister declared.