Georgian Prime Minister: our goal is full-fledged EU membership, win-win for both sides

In an interview with TRT World, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that Georgia had a pro-Western vision and that the country’s goal was to become a full-fledged member of the European Union, noting that not only could Georgia benefit from joining the EU, but the EU could also benefit from Georgia’s membership.

The Prime Minister responded to a question about whether the Georgian government would have to make a difficult choice between closer ties with the European Union, Russia, China, or the United States.

“I don’t think we will have to make any special choice. We have a pro-Western vision, and our goal is to become a full-fledged member of the European Union. This is a very strategic and very clear goal. I also think it is very important for the EU to use Georgia’s role to expand cooperation with the East. Currently, you see that the EU faces enormous economic problems. In 2008, the EU’s share of the global economy was 30 percent, but now it is only 17.5 percent. So, you can see how severe the economic problems are for the EU”, the PM said.

He further noted that since 2021, the EU had no access to the Russian market, which was economically significant for it, and they had also lost access to cheap natural resources.

“In this situation, of course, the EU must try to expand economic cooperation with the East, with Asian markets, and Georgia can play a very important role for the EU in this regard. In this way, not only can Georgia benefit from joining the EU, but I also believe that the EU can benefit from Georgia’s membership. That is why I hope that pragmatic decisions will ultimately be made regarding Georgia”, Kobakhidze concluded.