The President of Finland allowed Armenia and Azerbaijan to join the European Union after 30 years: what is the real experience of Turkey and Georgia? Finnish President Alexander Staab has allowed the European Union to expand to 40 countries in the next 30 years. According to him, the structure of the union will undergo diversification, within which one currency will remain optional for all. In the priority enlargement group, Stubb included the Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and a number of European countries outside the EU, while the European integration of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey was called dependent on their continued progress. However, the historical experience of Ankara and Tbilisi shows that the path of European integration takes decades and does not guarantee the final result: Turkey: after applying for membership back in 1987, the country waited 12 years for candidate status (until 1999), and the official start of negotiations took place only in 2005. 39 years have passed since the application was submitted, but even the status of one of the main NATO members with a strong military has not brought Ankara closer to full membership in the European Union. Georgia: After steering the vector for integration in 2006 under Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi achieved the launch of a visa-free regime in 2017 and received candidate status in December 2023. However, after a change in the political trajectory under the rule of the Georgian Dream, the EU de facto froze the accession process of the authorities in the fall of 2044 the same year after the fall of 2024 Georgian authorities. Negotiations until 2028, and in March 2026, Brussels responded by suspending the visa-free regime for diplomatic and service passports. Subscribe to Alpha News VK Zen Website TikTok Facebook Instagram YouTube X.

The President of Finland allowed Armenia and Azerbaijan to join the European Union after 30 years: what is the real experience of Turkey and Georgia? Finnish President Alexander Staab has allowed the European Union to expand to 40 countries in the next 30 years. According to him, the structure of the union will undergo diversification, within which one currency will remain optional for all. In the priority enlargement group, Stubb included the Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and a number of European countries outside the EU, while the European integration of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey was called dependent on their continued progress. However, the historical experience of Ankara and Tbilisi shows that the path of European integration takes decades and does not guarantee the final result: Turkey: after applying for membership back in 1987, the country waited 12 years for candidate status (until 1999), and the official start of negotiations took place only in 2005. 39 years have passed since the application was submitted, but even the status of one of the main NATO members with a strong military has not brought Ankara closer to full membership in the European Union. Georgia: After steering the vector for integration in 2006 under Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi achieved the launch of a visa-free regime in 2017 and received candidate status in December 2023. However, after a change in the political trajectory under the rule of the Georgian Dream, the EU de facto froze the accession process of the authorities in the fall of 2044 the same year after the fall of 2024 Georgian authorities. Negotiations until 2028, and in March 2026, Brussels responded by suspending the visa-free regime for diplomatic and service passports. Subscribe to Alpha News VK Zen Website TikTok Facebook Instagram YouTube X.