U.S. State Department: Need for unified Georgia has never been more urgent, this is something the Georgian President has emphasized many times
04/09/2023 14:49:29 Politic
Despite the Georgian government’s refusal, Georgia's President Salome Zourabishvili has embarked on a series of visits to European leaders to persuade them to grant Georgia EU candidate status by the end of the year.
As a spokesperson for the United States Department of State told the Accent, that the need for unified Georgia has never been more urgent.
"The Georgian people have been clear that they see their future with Europe, and the European Union has given Georgia a clear roadmap to achieve candidate status. We urge the Georgian government and all stakeholders to come together now and work towards that objective, especially to implement the reforms required to achieve EU candidate status. The need for unified Georgia has never been more urgent. This is something President Zourabichvili has emphasized publicly many times, both in Georgia and internationally," a State Department spokesperson told the Accent.
More context: The Georgian Dream Party has launched impeachment proceedings against the President of Georgia Salome Zourabishvili.
“Salome Zourabishvili is trying to play a kind of a game she can’t lose. On the one hand, she knows that from today’s point of view the prospect of granting Georgia the status of a candidate has increased, and she wants to score points from such a possible development of events. On the other hand, she will try as much as possible to prevent Georgia from obtaining candidate status. The Constitution of Georgia provides for the only effective legal mechanism to respond to its violation – impeachment,” said the chair of Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze on September 1.
Parallel to this process, President Zurabishvili continues to hold meetings in European capitals.
On September 1 she met with the President of the European Council Charles Michel. A day earlier, Zourabishvili met with German President Frank Walter Steinmeier.
Opponents of the government said that the impeachment proceedings against the President is a "sabotage of European integration". According to them, the issue of impeachment will increase polarization, while depolarization is one of the most important points in the 12 recommendations of the European Commission [which must be fulfilled in order to receive candidate status].
