Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II congratulated his compatriots on granting the country the status of a candidate for EU membership. He noted that great efforts of the current government, the efforts of the people and the work of many people have been invested in obtaining the status of a candidate. Patriarch Ilia also expressed hope "that this union will be mutually enriching and contribute to the strengthening of Christian traditions and spiritual values" of Georgia.

"Today is an exceptional day, as obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership opens up new opportunities for political stability within the country and increasing status in international relations; as well as for cultural, scientific, technical and economic progress," Patriarch Ilia said in a message published on the website of the Georgian Patriarchate.

"The enormous efforts of our current government, the efforts of our people and the work of many people have been invested in obtaining the status of a candidate; all the Georgian authorities have contributed to paving this path since the restoration of independence. May the Lord send unity, peace and a successful future to Georgia with the help of the Most Holy Theotokos," Patriarch Ilia wrote

Georgia applied to join the European Union in March last year. Currently, nine countries have the official status of candidates for EU membership: Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Montenegro and Georgia.