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Joint Press Conference of EUHR Borrell and PM Garibashvili

At the press conference following their meeting, High Representative Josep Borrell and the Georgian Prime Minister discussed the results of the High Representative’s visit, Georgia’s EU candidacy and the security situation in the region.

The Prime Minister in his remarks praised the historic opening of a European perspective and acknowledged that full membership in the European Union is “quite a long and demanding process”.

According to PM, the Government of Georgia, the ruling party, and the Parliament have done a “great job” by showing a strong will to implement the recommendations, adding: “To ensure an absolutely transparent and inclusive process, we invited all interested parties, including the radical opposition… Of course, it was regrettable that the opposition refused to participate in this process from the very beginning. In addition, unfortunately, facts of systematic sabotage and destruction were recorded from their side, which was harmful to this process”.

The Prime Minister said that most of the recommendations have been implemented and some are still being worked on, including de-oligarchization. According to him, the government will present an action plan within two weeks that will reflect the spirit of the recommendation.

The Prime Minister highlighted the significant judicial reforms that have taken place in Georgia over the past decade, “aimed at making the system more inclusive, transparent and accountable,” and said: “Confidence in the courts in Georgia is very high, and in general our court has the same level of confidence as European courts”.

He spoke at length about the “sabotage” of the “radical” forces when he addressed the question of why the polarization priority was not being met, saying “because of the radical forces operating in Georgia: “After these recommendations were determined, the polarization did not decrease, on the contrary – it increased, because the radical forces operating in Georgia by their nature, their experience, I mean the party of the previous government, the most anti-European forces are trying to sabotage this process, it is for them that it is one of the main subjects of speculation. Granting status to the country is used by radical forces to destabilize the country.”

According to him, the “Georgian Dream” has made significant progress in European integration through the signing of an Association Agreement, free trade, visa-free regime, and the adoption of a European perspective.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war have changed the global agenda and challenged the rules-based international order, adding: “I will not hesitate to say that we are in a special situation because 20% of our country is still occupied today. The Russian occupying forces are on our territory”.

Underlining Georgia’s important role in peace-building, the Prime Minister said that Georgia had been a reliable partner in NATO missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Central Africa, demonstrating that it did not just ask for help but actively participated in achieving common goals.

Garibashvili stated that Georgia and the Georgian people deserve the status of a candidate, “although we don’t say we are perfect. No country or government is perfect.” He emphasized that this is an ongoing process that requires constant commitment and called on everyone, including the ruling party, the government, the President, and the opposition, to say loudly and clearly that Georgia should get candidate status by the end of the year.

HR Borrell in his remarks said he came with three main messages: the first, that “no doubt Georgia belongs to the European family; the second: “We are supporting Ukraine and will continue till is necessary” noting in this regard that EU regrets the restoration of flights with Russia); and the third: the “unwavering support” Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Regarding the first main message HR Borrell said: “Visiting you country it is clear… that you see the overwhelming European aspiration of the Georgian people. I am really inspired to see many European flags in the streets of Tbilisi…” He stressed that “all political forces need to work together constructively. The majority has to be inclusive, minority has to be cooperative this is a national endeavor.” Speaking about the role of the government he stressed that the “government and the party in power should work to create an environment to make this cooperation possible.” Josep Borrell emphasized: “At this moment all efforts should focus on eliminating political tensions.” He also said: “Don’t miss this historical opportunity. In order not to miss it you need to work united, because the next steps on EU path of Georgia will depend on merits.”

Commenting on EU 12 priorities’ implementation the High Representative noted that Georgia delivered on three and that work on the remaining nine has to continue, noting: “There are no shortcuts” and adding: “Accession requires hard work, political will, and clear commitment to the EU values.”

He also stressed that “EU membership is the biggest transformative power and the strongest security commitment”

Borrell also addressed the GD government’s plan to impeach the President noting that “this risks to increase the counterproductive polarization”.

Speaking in detail about his second main message HR Borrell said: “It’s crucial that our closest partners coordinate efforts to internationally isolate Russia and therefore we welcome very much your close cooperation and efforts on prevention of sanctions circumvention. A lot has been done and it is important to express clear recognition for your efforts. ” He then repeated that EU “regrets the resumption of flights between Georgia and Russia”

He noted: “It is part of the alignment of Georgia with our foreign policy, this is a commitment, that Georgia undertook under the Association Agreement and what we expect from those countries who aspire to become members of the EU. And right now certainly there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Borrell noted: “We also need your engagement to counter Russia’s hybrid activities, starting with the Russian war of propaganda and disinformation, that’s why EU will continue supporting media and civil society… to help the Georgian people build resilience to information manipulation including disinformation.”

And finally, elaborating on the third message that he brought to Tbilisi, HR Borrell said: “Our long-standing commitment to peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia is as strong as ever in light of Russian aggression in Ukraine. We have been and will continue standing by Georgia.”

He also added that EU is backing this by concrete actions and investment noting, among other factors: “We have an active special representative for this region and a dedicated EU Monitoring Mission that has been in the country for the last 15 years.”

Question & Answer Session:

When asked what are the areas where EU would like to see more progress considering the time left, and what is the prediction on the candidate’s status, HR Borrell responded that all of the 12 priorities are important, adding that the country needs to implement them for democracy and not to please Brussels. According to him, there is still time. He added: “There will also be recommendations from member states and then the final decision, and it is quite possible to succeed, and my expectations are positive”.

PM Garibashvili said: “We have heard the assessment that three recommendations have been fully implemented and there are different opinions about the rest.” He stressed that three more recommendations (depolarization, de-oligarchization, judicial reform) are being actively worked on. He expressed hope that the European Commission will make a fair decision and stressed that “Georgia has never asked for more than it deserves.” “Last year, Ukraine and Moldova received the status as a bonus, and I call it a bonus because I know the situation there very well. We have always been, and still are, an advanced country among the countries of the associated trio”- Garibashvili added.

When asked whether, if the candidate’s status is not granted to Georgia in December the polarization in Georgia will deepen, Borrell emphasized that depolarization is an internal issue that only Georgians can solve. Borrell stressed the importance of unity and inclusiveness, noting that democracy allows for diverse approaches and criticism. However, he cautioned: “But if there is no inclusion, criticism too high, no cooperation, the level of political debate goes too high and prevents from working together to pursue national endeavor, then it is bad”.

Responding to allegations of a “second front”, Borrell rejected the notion that the EU wants to use Georgia to open a second front against Russia, describing it as “noise, propaganda, and disinformation”. He urged people not to listen to such disinformation and expressed disappointment at the spread of such false narratives, linking them in particular to the intense Russian propaganda.

Commenting on the alignment with EU foreign policy issues, Borrell stressed: “We have to be sure that we have the same vision of the world, if everyone has a different approach to the world, it would be impossible to build foreign policy.” He pointed out that Georgia’s alignment rate with EU policies is not high and that he conveyed this concern to the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He stressed the need for partner countries to align themselves with the common policies of the EU.

Garibashvili noted that Georgia’s support for the resolutions is currently at 43%, but said that Georgia is not a member of NATO or the European Union. According to him, the country acts according to its own national interests and Georgia has joined more than 500 resolutions [on Ukraine] since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Asked about the impeachment of the President, Georgian PM noted that the impeachment of the President is not a political but a legal issue, “we respect the constitution of our country and we were obliged and forced to make this formal response”- he said.

When asked about the potential impact of the denial of candidate status on Georgian citizens and the message it might send to Russia, Borrell responded, “Please never say: “we have been abandoned by the EU. This is something I cannot accept”. He added that EU has an Economic and Investment Plan “that has been mobilizing €1.3 billion, increasing competitiveness, on improving infrastructure. It is not on our interest to abandon Georgia. We are very much aware of the importance and interest that Georgia has today for us.”

He underlined however, that at the same time enlargement is a merit-based process”, likening the situation to a student who fails the exam and says professor has abandoned him or her. He stressed:” No, the professor has an objective measure. And that is what we are; our assessments are objective.”

Responding to the same question Garibashvili stated, that the reality is more complex and that Georgia wants “fair treatment” reiterating that last year Ukraine and Moldova were granted ”the bonus status” “despite not fully implementing recommendations”.


On September 11, High Representative Josep Borrell summarized his main messages to the Georgian government and people in a statement published on the website of the European Union’s External Action Service.

Note: This news was updated on September 12 at 11:50 a.m. to include EUHR Borrell’s summary of his visit.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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