DEPUTY MINISTER TEIMURAZ JANJALIA PARTICIPATED IN THE CONFERENCE RELATED TO THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF COPENHAGEN CRITERIA

On June 28, 2023, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Teimuraz Janjalia, participated in the Conference, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Copenhagen Criteria.

Teimuraz Janjalia addressed the audience at the session "From Eastern Partners to Coming EU members". The Deputy Minister focused on the historic decision to recognize Georgia's European perspective, which formally opened the country's path to EU membership. He also spoke about the requirements for membership in the European Union, known as the "Copenhagen Criteria", which contributed to the democratization and economic development of several European countries and today still represent a strong incentive for enlargement countries to continue the process of democratic reforms.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the fundamental importance of using a merit-based approach in the evaluation of countries in the EU accession process. In this context, he emphasized the strong readiness of the Georgian authorities to continue the reforms necessary for joining the European Union and the expectation that Georgia will receive candidate status by the end of the year.

Teimuraz Janjalia also drew attention to the security challenges facing Georgia, the difficult situation created on the ground by Russia's occupation of two regions of the country, as well as the tense geopolitical situation in the entire region as a result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.
Speaking about the challenges of energy and food security, the deputy minister emphasized the importance of developing transport, energy, and digital connections on the Black Sea through the implementation of strategic projects initiated by Georgia, among which are the Black Sea power transmission and optical fiber cables, the intensification of ferry traffic on the Black Sea.
 High-ranking representatives of EU member states and institutions, state and academic circles of candidate countries participated in the conference.