GD MP after meetings in Brussels, Strasbourg: Georgia remains on top of EU agenda
Georgian MPs have held more than 30 meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg with EU officials and MEPs. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Tweet 
Share
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) MP who chairs the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, says that Georgia remains on the top of the EU agenda and is regarded as an ‘important ally’ for the European Union.
At a briefing earlier today Samkharadze said that members of parliament's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committees have held more than 30 meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg with MEPs, EU representatives and officials from several EU-member states.
During the meetings we have been assured once again that the relations with Georgia is a priority for the EU,” Samkharadze said.
He said that the EU-Georgia relations, security issues and upcoming, October 2 municipal elections in Georgia have been discussed during the meetings.
Samkharadze has described Georgian MPs recent meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg as 'very successful.' Photo: Georgian Dream press office.
We have discussed all the issues in detail. The EU representatives have stated that Georgia is a leading country of the EU’s astern Partnership and that there are high expectations towards the country,” Samkharadze said.
He stated that Black Sea security has also been discussed at the meetings.
We have discussed the EU’s role in this regard, the importance of the EU’s more engagement in the issue which should balance Russia’s increasing aggression,” Samkharadze said.
He stated that the Eastern Partnership summit in December of the year is expected to offer ‘serious decisions’ on Georgia’s European integration.
Our integration into NATO and the EU is irreversible and will definitely take place thanks to the stable and peaceful development of the country. Our government is doing its utmost to ensure regional peace and security and recent steps which have been taken by the Georgian government have confirmed this,” Samkharadze said.
Samkharadze stated that the EU representatives have praised Georgia’s election reform which was carried out in line with the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.
The European Union has published its Association Implementation Report on Georgia, which says that the country ‘continued steadily on its European path including in the challenging COVID-19 context’. The document published earlier today reads that Georgia ‘has remained committed to the implementation, obligations and undertakings of the Association Agreement, despite COVID-19 related challenges’.
Business and investment conditions are sound in Georgia, however, there is an increasing lack of confidence in the judicial sector’s ability to adjudicate commercial cases independently or in a timely, competent manner, read the 2021 Investment Climate Statements about Georgia published by the US Department of State.
The European Union (EU) and MEP Marina Kaljurand have thanked Georgia for its facilitation efforts to release 15 Armenian citizens who were captured last year by Azerbaijan during hostilities over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Eleven days are left until the October 2 municipal elections in Georgia when voters will elect 64 mayors and 2,068 members in 64 city councils. The lead up to the elections has been marked by the ruling party’s withdrawal from the April 19 EU-mediated agreement, an attack on journalists by right-wing activists in July during Tbilisi Pride events, the recent leak of alleged personal files and continued vows of Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili that he will return.
A group of Georgian parliament members have asked Sven Mikser, visiting member of the European Parliament, to convey to the European Union the Georgian lawmakers’ preference to have the term ‘South Ossetia’ replaced with ‘Tskhinvali Region’ when making references to the Russian-occupied central Georgian region.