Maka Botchorishvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's European Union integration committee, on Tuesday said the progress made by Georgian authorities on the country’s European integration path was “tangible and undeniable”, adding the country had proven it was a “reliable partner” of the EU.
In her remarks at the plenary meeting of the conference of parliamentary committees for union affairs of EU member parliaments in Prague, Botchorishvili noted her country had the potential to open up “new geopolitical opportunities” for the bloc and contribute to European “security and prosperity”.
We are well aware that only through reforms can we transform our country and achieve compatibility with the European Union. The progress we have made is tangible and undeniable. Georgia has proven that it is a reliable partner of the European Union. It has the potential to open up new geopolitical opportunities for the EU and contribute to European security and prosperity”, the parliament official said.
Botchorishvili highlighted the importance of the EU authorities granting Georgia a European perspective in June, and reviewed the progress achieved by the country after signing the 2014 association agreement with the bloc, with a focus on Georgia's role in “ensuring European security”.
“In June, the European Union made a historic decision by recognising the prospect of EU membership for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. This decision created a solid basis for the implementation of our European aspirations, supported by the vast majority of our citizens”, she told the conference.
Currently, we are living in a very complex geopolitical environment, and keeping the EU's differentiated approach regarding our European perspective only increases vulnerability and does not help us to progress on our European path”, Botchorishvili added.
“We expect to move forward together with other candidate countries, and with your support, we need to prove that the EU's enlargement policy works, delivers and makes us stronger all together”, she concluded in her notes.