Georgia is applying for the EU candidate status, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze said, Novosti-Georgia reported.

"The government of Georgia led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is urgently preparing an application for EU candidate status, which will be submitted to the EU structures tomorrow. We call on the EU to urgently consider the application and make a decision to award Georgia the status of EU candidate," Kobakhidze said.

The Georgian government has repeatedly stated that it plans to apply for full EU membership in 2024. According to Kobakhidze, they have decided to speed up the process "taking into account the political context and the new reality."

The Georgian authorities made the announcement following Ukraine, which applied for the EU membership through an accelerated procedure on28 February.

Five countries currently have EU candidate status: Northern Macedonia (applied in 2004), Albania (in 2009), Serbia (in 2009), Turkey (in 1987) and Montenegro (in 2008).