Parliament Speaker says Georgia deserves “positive decision” from EU on membership bid
Papuashvili said Georgia had to go through conflicts over the past three decades of its independence “exactly because” it had made a “European choice” of associating itself with European structures. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said on Tuesday Georgia “truly deserves” a “positive decision” from the European Union on its ongoing membership bid.
Papuashvili said Georgia had to go through conflicts over the past three decades of its independence “exactly because” it had made a “European choice” of associating itself with European structures.
Georgia and the Georgian people, through their struggle and the wars that Georgia had to go through because of the European choice it made, as well as because of the development of our country and the rapprochement with the European Union, have proved that they have truly deserved a positive decision from the European Union to pave the way for Georgia's membership [in the EU],” the Speaker of the legislative body said.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday personally handed over the first completed part of the EU membership questionnaire to Carl Hartzel, the Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, and called the development a “paramount stage” in the EU integration process.
President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday said her country would “join the European family” in comments that followed the delivery of the first completed part of Georgia’s European Union membership questionnaire this week.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday said by delivering the first completed part of the country’s European Union membership questionnaire, Georgia had commenced a “new chapter” on its path of European integration.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Monday marked the delivery of the first completed part of the country’s European Union membership questionnaire as a “big step”.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Union Integration Committee, said on Tuesday she expected the conclusion of the European Commission on Georgia’s EU membership bid would be “positive”.
Georgia's bid for European Union membership and the expectations of the upcoming NATO Summit were discussed on Friday in a meeting between a delegation of the Georgian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations led by Chair Nikoloz Samkharadze, and Bertel Haarder, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday personally handed over the first completed part of the country’s European Union membership questionnaire to Carl Hartzell, the Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia.