EU Member States’ Diplomats Summoned to MFA to Hear on Implementation of EU Nine Conditions
On July 29, the representatives of diplomatic missions of the EU member states in Georgia, as well as of EU delegation in Tbilisi visited the Georgian Foreign Ministry to hear a presentation on the implementation of the EU-defined nine conditions for Georgia to progress on the EU integration path and to move towards the EU accession talks.
“Ambassadors and representatives of Embassies of EU member states and other partner states accredited in Georgia were invited to the meeting,” the Georgian MFA said. According to the media reports, only a handful of Ambassadors attended the meeting, while most of the EU Member States’ Embassies were represented by lower-ranking diplomats.
Following the meeting the Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Georgia Asunción Sánchez Ruiz answered journalists’ questions. Asked what information was provided to the diplomats during the meeting, Ms. Sánchez Ruiz said: “At the meeting today the Foreign Ministry explained, what in their view, is progress on the nine steps set out by the [EU] Commission in its recommendation last year in order for Georgia to obtain candidate status.”
She also said: “What we recalled at the meeting is the [EU]Council conclusions that were adopted by 27 members of the European Union on 27th of June where European Union expressed its concerns regarding the latest developments in Georgia. In particular, [that] the Law on transparency of foreign influence means the backsliding in Georgia’s accession path, jeopardizing EU candidate status. And as the [EU] leaders stated they called on the authorities to reverse the trend, which de-facto leads to a halt in the EU accession process for Georgia.”
Asked whether the diplomats heard any arguments regarding the concerns regarding the law, the EU diplomat said that the foreign ministry “recalled the intention of the Government to be members of the European Union by 2030, to which we responded that currently, as the leaders agreed on the 27 of June, the relations are de-facto halted on the EU accession path.”
Asked if this was a convincing message, she said: “We recalled the position by 27 Member States, which is quite convincing from our side, yes.”
Asunción Sánchez Ruiz was also asked what further steps can be expected from the EU side and when, to which she recalled that the EU has frozen 30 million Euros from the European Peace Facility, downgraded high-level meetings, and is currently reviewing the bloc’s support to the government. She added: “So more announcements will follow”.
Ms. Sanchez Ruiz stressed that diplomats expressed the hope that the upcoming parliamentary elections “will be free, fair and competitive”, noting the EU will be watching closely.
The EU diplomat said that the Union “is actively working for this country to become a member of the EU.” She emphasized that the European Union is “really side by side with Georgian people, who have expressed their willingness to join the European Union.”
Also Read:
- 24/06/2024 – HR/VP Borrell Says Georgian Government is Taking Georgia Away From EU, Announces Initial EU Response
- 19/06/2024 – Paweł Herczyńsky: Adoption of Foreign Agents Law Has Frozen Georgia’s EU Integration
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
