The end of Georgia will come if the country turns away from the European path, so it moves forward, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told representatives of the cultural sphere in the Orbeliani Palace.

"The process of European integration is a way to return Georgia to the European family. This can take many different forms, but we know that there is no retreat here. Retreat here is the end of Georgia. So we move forward. First of all, you move forward, and we all follow you," she said.

The day before, the president gathered representatives of the cultural sphere at her residence who joined the signature collection campaign "Our voice to Europe!" The campaign, which calls on EU leaders to approve the European Commission's recommendation and grant the country candidate status for EU membership, was launched on the president's website last week.

On November 8, the EC published a report on Georgia’s fulfillment of 12 conditions and recommended that the European Council grant the country candidate status for accession to the European Union. At the same time, the European Commission called on Georgia to take nine steps, including holding free elections, rapprochement with EU foreign policy, depolarization and others.