Czech Republic Wants To Bring Georgia Closer To EU During Presidency - Foreign Minister

During its upcoming presidency of the European Union, the Czech Republic will do everything possible to bring Georgia closer to the EU, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Thursday

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2022) During its upcoming presidency of the European Union, the Czech Republic will do everything possible to bring Georgia closer to the EU, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Thursday.

Georgia planned to apply for EU membership in 2024, but Tbilisi decided to speed up the process after Russia started a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili signed an application for granting the country the status of an EU membership candidate on March 3. On Monday, Georgia received the European Commission questionnaire, the first part of the application assessment procedure.

After meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, who arrived in Prague for a visit, Lipavsky said that the Czech Republic during its six-month EU presidency, beginning July 1, will do everything possible to "bring Georgia as close as possible to the EU," according to the Ceske Noviny website.

"We value that Georgia remains high on the agenda during the Czech Republic Presidency of the EU Council," Darchiashvili said on Twitter.

Both ministers announced the successful development of bilateral relations. Lipavsky noted that the Czech Republic was the third largest investor in Georgia last year, and the cooperation of both countries in the fields of energy, transport, agriculture and environmental protection was growing.