Georgia officially presented its candidacy to join the European Union (EU) on Thursday, according to the Prime Minister of this country in the Caucasus Mountains, Irakli Garibashvili.
Tbilisi has been encouraged to take this step after the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, did it last Monday in order to stop the call “special military operation” ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We submit our application to join the EUGaribashvili explained in a statement after signing the admission letter. “Georgia is a European state and continues to make a valuable contribution to its protection and development,” he added.
Georgia already faced Russia in 2008
The Russian invasion of Ukraine last week caused great concern in Georgia, a former Soviet republic, which Russia considers as part of its area of influence. The crisis between Ukraine and Russia seems to have opened an opportunity for Georgia’s aspiration to join the EU (an objective inscribed in its Constitution).
Georgia, which has the bitter experience of 2008 war against Russia and two separatist republics recognized by Moscow, thus seeking to shield their security and guarantee the support of the Twenty-seven. The country signed in 2014 the Association Agreement with the EUwhich includes the Free Trade Agreement, and in 2017 achieved the liberalization of the visa regime with the European Union.
Thus, Georgia must now wait to receive from Brussels candidate country status to enter the EU. The Georgian authorities already confirmed on Wednesday that they would make their request to join the bloc official. “Applying for EU membership is another important step on Georgia’s path to European integration“, has indicated Garibashvili.
Moldova also submits its request
In the same day, Moldova has made the same request. The president of the country, Maia Sandu, signed this Thursday the formal request for accession to the European Union, which will be sent to Brussels in the coming days. “Today we signed the request for accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU. We want to live in peace, in democracy and in freedom. It is addressed to Emmanuel Macron, President of France, who holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union“, Sandu said during his appearance before the media. Moldova, like Georgia, was part of the former USSR: in August 1991 it proclaimed its independence.