Prime minister says only Russia will be pleased if EU rejects Georgia's membership bid

"Imagine that the European Union does not grant us the status of a candidate for membership. Who will be satisfied with this? Only Russia," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at the GLOBSEC 2022 Global Security Forum in Bratislava, Report's local bureau informs.

The prime minister noted that the nomination of a candidate does not mean membership: "We must promote young democracies in Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine. We must convince our European friends that candidate status should be presented to all three countries."

According to Garibashvili, gaining candidate status will give additional motivation to Georgia: "It will be a recognition of the progress we have made. Georgia is not looking for a shortcut to EU integration. We will continue the reforms."

The prime minister stressed that Georgia has 'fulfilled its homework' and is waiting for a response from the European Union: "We must understand that granting or not granting a status is a political, strategic decision and a moral issue."