Georgian FM says EU integration not solely in Georgia’s hands but a two-sided process

Georgia’s integration into the European Union cannot be a process dependent solely on Georgia, it is a mutual effort between both sides, the Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili said on Wednesday in an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster.

Botchorishvili noted that it was the Government’s obligation to prepare Georgia for membership in the European Union and to make Georgia a country that will be compatible with that space.

“EU accession cannot be a process that depends only on Georgia. It is a two-way process. On the one hand, our obligation is to prepare Georgia for membership in the European Union, to make Georgia a country that will be compatible with that space. Of course, this also implies carrying out appropriate reforms, introducing appropriate standards, and turning our country into a country that will be similar to the European Union member states and will withstand the competition that exists in the European Union. This first of all requires the country’s economic preparation, economic development of the country, growth of the economy, and this is exactly what Georgia is doing today”, the FM said.

Botchorishvili further added that the Government was doing everything to advance all kinds of standards in line with European Union standards.

“Georgia is doing everything to advance all kinds of standards. The European Union is a union of those countries that are currently leading countries in the world when we talk about the economy, social conditions, human life opportunities, and the environment in which people live. The European Union is attractive to us and our citizens because it is the best-equipped place in the modern world for people to live, work, and develop. This is what we want it to be like, and for that you need economic development, for that we need to create better social conditions, and with all of this, of course, you will first achieve stability”, she concluded.