Georgian Parliamentary Speaker visits Ukraine

Georgian Parliamentary Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze is paying a working visit to Ukraine.

On his first day of the visit yesterday, Kobakhidze met with Andriy Parubiy the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Inter-parliamentary coordination, deepening bilateral cooperation between Georgia and Ukraine in different directions, including economic potential, as well as European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations were among the issues Kobakhidze and Parubiy discussed during the meeting.

The two politicians reiterated their firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and Ukraine.

I want to thank our Ukrainian friends for supporting our sovereignty and territorial integrity for all these years. Our Ukrainian friends have stood next to the Georgian people and Georgian statehood in their hardest times”, Kobakhidze said during a joint press conference.

Condemning the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s aggressive and illegal actions in the region, Kobakhidze said Georgia and Ukraine face the same challenges and share the same goals.

It is very important to unite our efforts to respond to these challenges and reach our goals. We aim at becoming members of the European Union and NATO and also need unification of efforts in this direction”, Kobakhidze said.

He believes Georgia and Ukraine should actively use bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation against Russian aggression.

Welcoming the 100th anniversary of independence and diplomatic cooperation between Georgia and Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliamentary Chairman Parubiy said this year is important for both countries.

Welcoming the Georgian delegation, Parubiy tweeted below that the Georgian people are friends, while Georgia is a strategic partner on an international level.

Сьогодні до Верховної Ради @verkhovna_rada завітала делегація депутатів парламенту Грузії @Geoparliament на чолі з Головою Парламенту Іраклієм Кобахідзе. Грузинський народ- братній для на народ, а Грузія- стратегічний партнер на міжнародній арені. pic.twitter.com/kZ0FJW6WG1

— Андрій Парубій (@AndriyParubiy) January 17, 2018

Parubiy said regional cooperation is one of the key issues for overcoming all the challenges Georgia and Ukraine are facing nowadays.

We know what results Russian aggression can bring and we pay great importance to the development of regional cooperation”, he explained.

He said an upcoming meeting for parliamentary chairpersons in March in Moldova will gather the parliamentary chairpersons from various countries, including Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. This, according to Parubiy, is important for developing cooperation between the Black Sea and Baltic states.

The Georgian delegation will end the three-day working visit on January 19. Photo by the Georgian Parliament's press office

Stressing that the Georgian delegation’s visit to Ukraine is yet another step for strengthening bilateral cooperation, Parubiy said he believes Georgia and Ukraine will become EU members in near future.

The Georgian delegation led by the Parliamentary Speaker Kobakhidze will further meet with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.