Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the Georgian Dream, reacted to the European Commission's decision by saying that the absence of a recommendation to grant Georgia status was " disheartening.
However, he said he was pleased with the EU's official recognition of Georgia's European perspective because "Georgia has been waiting for this for many years."
As for granting status to Ukraine and Moldova, Kobakhidze says it has to do with Russia's war in Ukraine.
"I repeat that Georgia is ahead of Ukraine and Moldova in all measurable parameters. Whether it is democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the fight against corruption, trade and economic cooperation with the EU or the overall implementation of obligations under the Association Agreement. We understand that the European Commission and the European Council make a political decision, not an expert decision, so in the current extraordinary political situation the European Commission's decision has its logical explanation.
Russia's military aggression and the ongoing war have inflicted the heaviest humanitarian and economic damage on Ukraine. The war has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, one in three Ukrainians has been displaced, much of the country's infrastructure has been destroyed, and international financial institutions are predicting a 45 percent decline in the Ukrainian economy. Against this background, granting Ukraine candidate status is the sort of small incentive our friendly country should have received from the European Union.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has also taken a serious toll on friendly Moldova. While Georgia's economic growth was 14.5% in the first quarter of this year, Moldova's was only 1%. At the same time, half a million Ukrainian refugees have found asylum, a heavy burden for the country. The EU directly relieves this burden. Given the severe consequences of the war, Moldova should also receive encouragement that will ease its plight, not economically, but somewhat politically. Notably, the EU also turned a blind eye to Moldova's military and political neutrality and its membership in the CIS, and granted it candidate status in spite of everything.
As for the decision on Georgia, Georgia has been waiting for years for an official recognition of the European perspective. We are glad that today this perspective has been officially recognized by the European Commission and offered concrete guidance for candidate status. European leaders hinted at us in advance that geographic location also prevented us from obtaining candidate status,
Although candidate status does not give the country any financial or other material privilege, it is still somewhat disappointing for us not to receive this status at this stage, although we understand that Georgia, unlike Ukraine and even Moldova, has not made the necessary sacrifices to obtain this status today. "We understand that the sacrifices and bloodshed of 14 and even 30 years ago, 300 thousand IDPs, have already lost their relevance for our European partners," Kobakhidze said.
He also noted that Georgia began negotiations with the EU on various fronts several years later than Ukraine and Moldova.
As a reminder, the European Commission recommended granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and in the case of Georgia, it said that after the country meets specific conditions, the issue will be discussed again.