Georgia’s Parliament Speaker: EU supports Georgia gaining visa free travel

Today is the final day of the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in New York, where Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili is taking part alongside almost 200 parliamentary officials from nearly 140 countries.

The August 31-September 3 conference, organised by the independent body Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is being held at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, examined ways to effectively tackle global challenges to peace and democracy.

The Georgian official has completed his official duties and today evaluated his participation and discussions with foreign officials as "very fruitful and beneficial”, especially those that related to Georgia’s visa liberation perspective to the European Union (EU). 

There are very positive attitudes with Georgia’s gaining visa liberation. I have discussed the issue in depth with the representatives of France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden,” he said.  

I was told that the European states will make a fair decision about Georgia and will not create artificial barriers in the process of our EU integration,” Usupashvili said. 

Before the end of December this year this issue will be sorted,” he added. 

Usupashvili stressed his foreign colleagues had a positive response to Georgia’s growing relationship with NATO too.

In recent days Usupashvili also met with parliamentary officials from Sweden, the Maldives and Uganda. 

He said meetings with countries who were lesser known to the wider community served to inform them of the ongoing issues in Georgia that stemmed from Russia’s provocation and ongoing creeping occupation.

 Usupashvili told the sides about Georgia’s occupied regions and Russian ongoing actions to prevent any future recognition of Georgia’s occupied regions as de facto states.

Earlier today the Georgian official held his last bilateral meeting with the Speaker of Iran’s parliament Mejlis Ali Larijani. 

 Georgia’s  Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili with Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Mejlis Ali Larijani. Photo by Parliament of Georgia. 

At this meeting Usupashvili told his colleague of the upcoming international conference scheduled in Tbilisi for September 14-15, held within the Open Governance Partnership in the Parliament of Georgia. 

He noted representatives from parliaments all around the world, including Iran, were invited to the forum.

Both sides recognised the importance of bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations.

Usupashvili was one of about 180 parliamentary leaders, including more than 35 deputy speakers, from nearly 140 countries who took part in the conference.