Parliament committee chair: “important” to have “intensive relationship” with European partners

Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament’s European Union integration committee, on Thursday said it was “important” to have an “intensive relationship” with the country’s European partners and “discuss all challenges” facing the country with them. 

Botchorishvili noted the Georgian government’s goal was to have relations with “capitals of all EU member states” to help them “understand the country’s positions well”.

“Based on the geopolitical reality that exists in our region, it is important to have an intensive relationship with our [European] partners and discuss all the challenges facing Georgia and our expectations with the European Union in light of this challenge”, the Parliament official said. 

Our goal is to have a relationship with the capitals of all EU member states, and for them to understand our positions, our perceptions, as well as what we are doing to fulfil the recommendations of the European Commission and also what our expectations are”, she said in reference to the Commission’s conditions for Georgia to receive the EU membership candidate status.

On June 24, the European Council granted the membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and said it would be ready to grant the same status to Georgia once the outstanding priorities outlined by the European Commission would be addressed by the Georgian government.