Georgia to join EU by 2030, ruling party leader boasts at pro-government rally

Georgia will become a member of the European Union by 2030, oligarch and founder of Georgia's ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, boasted at a pro-government rally in front of parliament, SOVA reported.

Ivanishvili vowed to "overcome all obstacles, strengthen sovereignty, preserve peace, bolster Georgia's economy, and join the EU by 2030."

Read also: What’s going on with Georgia – opinion

Georgian people possess a unique history, traditions, and identity, the Georgian Dream party founder said.

“With these unique national traditions and identity, we must join the common European family,” he said.

“Only in such cases, the EU can have real value for Georgia and Georgia for the EU.”

Read also: Georgia risks sliding into Russia’s orbit — opposition MP

Ivanishvili added that "a free, independent, sovereign, and unified Georgia" as a member of the EU is "our Georgian dream, which we will all realize together."

Foreign Agents Bill and Protests in Georgia

A wave of mass protests erupted in Georgia on April 9 after the leader of Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, said his party would again introduce a bill on "foreign agents" to parliament.

Tbilisi Law enforcement began dispersing demonstrators on April 16.

Georgia's parliament adopted the bill in its first reading on April 17.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili promised to veto the document.

Georgia's "Foreign Agents" bill aims to protect it from "Ukrainization," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed on April 18.

Read also: Ukraine’s ruling party in war of words with Georgian government

The real threat to Georgia is Russification, not "mythical Ukrainization," Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry responded, adding that using Ukraine in such a derogatory context "further damages Ukrainian-Georgian relations."

Members of the European Parliament stated on April 18 that adopting the controversial Foreign Agents bill in Georgia jeopardizes the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.

The scandalous "Foreign Agents" bill could be repealed or rewritten if the country is invited to join the European Union, the head of Georgia's ruling party said on April 20.

Read also: ‘Will never be tolerated’ – Georgians will not allow a pro-Russian government – Georgian President

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Georgia's ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’ bill on April 25, questioning whether Georgia's EU accession negotiations could continue while the law is in effect.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine