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Georgia to fulfill EC recommendations to receive EU candidate status, says Prime Minister

On June 17, the European Commission recommended the European Council to grant candidate status to Georgia after it meets a number of preconditions

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili EPA-EFE/Radek Pietruszka

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili

© EPA-EFE/Radek Pietruszka

TBILISI, June 20. /TASS/. Georgia will start working on the implementation of the European Commission (EC) recommendations, which were given to the republic in order to obtain candidate status in the European Union, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a government meeting on Monday.

"As soon as the European Council approves the recommendations, of course, we will immediately start working with Brussels. I want to explain to our citizens that most of these recommendations have already been put on our agenda. There are issues that we will, of course, clarify with Brussels, we will work and get candidate status," he said.

On June 17, the European Commission recommended the European Council to grant candidate status to Georgia after it meets a number of preconditions, including reducing polarization between political parties, strengthening and ensuring the state institutions' independence, creating a transparent and effective justice system and so on. On June 23-24, the EU heads of state and government will consider the EC recommendations.

Georgia has been participating in the Eastern Partnership program since 2009. The program is aimed at developing cooperation between the EU and the former Soviet republics. In 2014, the country signed an association agreement with the EU, of which the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) is an integral part. In 2017, Georgian citizens were granted the right to travel to Schengen countries without visas.

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