We, the Georgian people, with all our unity and contradictions, are the real heroes of this historical achievement. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this achievement, said the Chairman of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, at the plenary session in the Parliament.

“Georgia deservedly received the status of a candidate for EU membership, which will be remembered as a turning event of historical scale. Since independence, the main goal of our national efforts has been to return to where Georgia’s historical place was.

We do not need to prove our belonging to Europe, we were the earliest European Christian nation and for centuries, the eastern bastion of Christendom. One of the first fully electoral European democracies, and finally, a nation that, over the past three decades, has made a remarkable transition from Soviet occupation to the fully deserved status of a candidate country for EU membership.

We, the Georgian people, with all our unity and contradictions, are the real heroes of this historical achievement. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this achievement, who worked tirelessly to protect our freedom and independence and to bring the country into the European family. Congratulations on this day, please stand up for the anthem of Europe!”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.