The Daily Beat: 14 December
Georgia was granted a much-awaited EU candidate status at the EU Council meeting. The Council also decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. It will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership is reached, tweeted the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel. As a solution, proposed reportedly by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and in what appears to be an unprecedented case, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not vote and walked out of the meeting, but did not block the decision. The decision taken by 26 member states, however, is legally binding.
Georgian government representatives, including the president, prime minister, parliament speaker, and opposition politicians, publicly welcomed the Council’s decision and congratulated Georgian citizens on this historic decision. EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczyński was the first to congratulate Georgia in a special video message in Georgian on this important EU decision, followed by other ambassadors.
In his address to Georgian citizens, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili congratulated the Georgian people on this important occasion, describing it as a victory day. “We fought for it and won,” claimed the Prime Minister. PM Garibashvili extended special congratulations to the Georgian Dream founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying that this would not have been possible without his leadership. At the end of his brief address, Irakli Garibashvili invited everybody to Freedom Square on December 15 to celebrate Georgia’s EU candidacy.
The decision of the European Council to grant Georgia the status of an EU candidate country was also followed by international reactions and congratulations. The EU gatekeepers like Charles Michel, Roberta Metsola, Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borell, and others posted congratulatory messages, mentioning the strategic importance of this decision.
The Kremlin’s man in charge of occupied Abkhazia’s “foreign relations,” Inal Ardzinba, continues his visit to Syria, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Reportedly, two outcasts discussed strengthening bilateral ties despite facing “difficult circumstances and blockade.” According to media reports, Assad pledged to support Abkhazia’s “recognition” in the Arab world. Only a handful of countries, including Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Nauru, have followed Russia’s lead in recognizing Abkhazia.
