Hungarian Prime Minister Orban and Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban and Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili held a joint press conference
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during contacts in Georgia that efforts should be made in the international arena to resolve conflicts around the world as soon as possible through peaceful negotiations.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, who held official talks with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, held a joint press conference in the city of Telavi in the Kakheti region.
Expressing satisfaction with the presence of Orban and his accompanying delegation in his country, Prime Minister Garibashvili said: "Today we held the first intergovernmental summit, which can be called a unique and historic day in relations between Georgia and Hungary."
Garibashvili also stated that Orban supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and the process of its integration into the European Union (EU).
Noting that the geopolitical situation, especially on the European continent, has begun to change significantly due to the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, Garibashvili said that Georgia continues to contribute to strengthening regional peace and security.
Stating that his country has problems with territorial integrity, Garibashvili said that Russia has occupied 20 percent of Georgia's territory at the moment.
Garibashvili said: "We have carried out very effective work within the framework of the integration process with the EU, especially in the last 10 years."
Stating that they expect Georgia to be granted "candidate status" in the EU towards the end of the year, Garibashvili claimed that his country has done a more effective job than the countries that received this status last year (Ukraine and Moldova), and noted that Georgia was "unfair" in this direction in in 2022.
"Georgia should get the status of a candidate, because this is the choice of our people and our country. Over the past 10 years, the Georgian government has done everything it could," Garibashvili said, adding that "Georgians most of all cannot tolerate and most of all dislike injustice and oppression."
Orban called on EU countries to grant Georgia the status of a candidate for EU membership
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban also said that during the bilateral meeting he discussed global security issues with Garibashvili.
Stating that efforts should be made to end conflicts around the world through peace, Orban said:
"We must always fight in the international arena for the speedy resolution of conflicts through peaceful negotiations, this is the most important method of development."
Arguing that the EU "needs energetic, creative countries and rights," Orban said: "If Europe does not accept such people when the time comes, the EU will eventually pay the price of losing its competitiveness. In this context, Georgia is a country that deserves this status."
Stating that, in his opinion, the EU wants to work closely with the Caucasus region, Orban noted that Georgia is of great importance to the EU in this regard, and said: "For this reason, we are very disappointed and outraged that countries that lag far behind Georgia in terms of development have received the status of a candidate, and Georgia has not been able to obtain this status."
On the other hand, before the start of the press conference, agreements were signed between the two countries in many areas.
SOURCE: AA