Zourabichvili met with Charles Michel in Brussels
On June 9 in Brussels, Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, met with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council. The discussion occurs only days after the European Parliament voted a harsh resolution on "Violations of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Georgia" that fell short of requesting that Georgia be awarded EU candidate status. Instead, it said that the legitimate aspirations of the Georgian people should be fulfilled and that the EU institutions should seek to grant Georgia EU candidate status.
On June 9, President Zourabichvili also appeared at the “Women in Conflicts” co-hosted by President Charles Michel and attended by, among others, the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The Georgian president noted at the event that the current situation in Ukraine indicates that women are no longer victims and that they have courageously engaged in one of the most astounding displays of comprehensive social unity.
Earlier on May 17, Irakli Garibashvili met with the presidents of the European Council and the European Parliament during a two-day visit to Brussels. Garibashvili and Michel addressed Georgia's next steps toward EU membership, as well as the country's past reforms and the implementation of the Association Agreement, according to the press office of the Georgian prime minister. In light of Russia's activities in Ukraine, as well as the occupied Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia, the two officials discussed the regional security situation. Following the discussion, President Michel tweeted that the EU is committed to continuing to strengthen its engagement with Georgia but that democratic process and rule of law reforms are more crucial than ever.