Georgian PM’s Germany visit “very successful” - parliament committee chair

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has had a “very successful” visit to Germany, Nikoloz Samkharadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the chair of the Georgian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said on Thursday.

Samkharadze noted the PM’s visit this week to “one of the strategic partner countries of Georgia  and one of the main decisionmakers in the European Union” had seen statements by Garibashvili and German chancellor Olaf Scholz that were “promising”.

The MP said comments by Scholz confirmed that once Georgia fulfilled the 12-point conditions for EU membership candidate status the country would not face any roadblocks for obtaining it. Samkharadze said the statement by the German politician was “actually a guarantee” for the country’s prospects in its aspiration. 

The committee chair also noted Scholz’s remarks were reaffirming those by Josep Borell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, on Georgia’s implementation of the EU membership candidate status conditions being not only a task of the government but also one that should involve the domestic opposition.

Samkharadze said the comments indicated a position that the opposition should be fully involved in the process of implementing the outlined conditions, and claimed “any other steps” by the parties would be considered a “sabotage” of Georgia’s European perspective.

Garibashvili met Scholz and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Wednesday.