In a meeting between Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel on October 13, Georgia's integration into the European Union, bilateral ties, and deepening sectoral cooperation between Georgia and Bulgaria were discussed, the Press Office of the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.

Gabriel highlighted Sofia's strong support for the bloc granting Georgia its membership candidate status and noted that both states shared common European values. The Bulgarian side gave a positive assessment of Georgia's reforms and efforts made in the process of rapprochement with the EU while also pointing out the country's important role for the bloc in such key areas as energy security and alternative transit routes. 

The parties emphasized Georgia's progress on the path of integration into the European Union and in fulfilling the 12 recommendations outlined by the European Commission for granting the country candidate status later this year. The ministers stressed the growing potential of the Black Sea. They noted the importance of deepening and developing cooperation between the two countries on regional topics, including Bulgaria's involvement in the green energy project.

Moreover, Otar Berdzenishvili, the Georgian Ambassador to Bulgaria, said the adoption of a declaration for the first time by the National Assembly of Bulgaria in support of Georgia was a historic occasion. He noted that the unanimously adopted declaration backed Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and granted the country the European Union membership candidate status. "Support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia was also emphasized in the declaration, adopted during Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili’s visit to Bulgaria," the Ambassador said.

In her turn, Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament, said her country recognized the results achieved in implementing the EU recommendations outlined by the bloc to grant the status to Georgia. She noted that Bulgaria continued its consistent support for Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic path and its sustainable progress on the path of European integration, stressing that Georgia’s efforts were positively evaluated. "The declaration's authors express their readiness to support Georgia on the EU path and provide appropriate assistance in implementing necessary reforms," Zaharieva added.