Giorgi Margvelashvili.

Georgia’s two former presidents and four ex-speakers of parliament appeal the EU not to oust Georgia from the “trio” and to grant it candidate status, as it did with Ukraine and Moldova.

“The content of the letter is as follows – we agree with the demands of European Commission, the expediency of their fulfillment, but due to the complexity of the situation and the challenges in the region, we plea not disband the trio – Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, but give us candidate status and leave the requirements for later fulfillment,” the fourth President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili said Wednesday.

“The letter is signed by all the leaders until 2016, who are alive today – presidents and speakers of parliament,” said Margvelashvili, who was once a close ally of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, but became his critic after being elected as president in 2013.

The appeal is signed by Margvelashvili himself, as well as by the third president Mikheil Saakashvili and former chairs of the parliament – Davit Usupashvili, Nino Burjanadze, Davit Bakradze and Akaki Asatiani.

A total of 29 letters were sent to the European Union – one addressed to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, another to the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the rest to the leaders of the 27 EU member states. Additionally, a copy of the letter was handed over to EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell.