Georgia expecting progress in EU's discussion of its candidate status

TBILISI. June 21 (Interfax) - The first hearing on Georgia's EU candidate status will take place in Brussels before June 25, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said.

"We are expecting the first hearing of Georgia's status to take place in Brussels later this week. I personally feel rather optimistic," Garibashvili told reporters on Wednesday.

He said he had told EU leaders about the need for ending polarization in Georgia, which "would require provision of the status."

"I said at the recent meetings with European Union leaders in Brussels that denial of EU candidate status to Georgia against the backdrop of the challenging international situation would be a strategic mistake of the West," Garibashvili said.

Back in June 2022, the European Commission granted EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova but denied such a status to Georgia, while recommending that Georgia carry out 12 reforms in various fields. A recommendation to end political polarization in Georgia topped the list.