Parliament official stresses “great optimism” about German support for Georgia’s EU bid
Samkharadze noted “all” of his German counterparts had come out in favour of Georgia receiving the candidate status in June, when the European Council instead granted the European perspective to the country. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Nikoloz Samkharadze, the chair of the Georgian parliament's foreign affairs committee, on Thursday noted German support for granting the European Union membership candidate status to Georgia, in remarks over his visit to meet colleagues in the Bundestag.
Samkharadze noted “all” of his German counterparts had come out in favour of Georgia receiving the candidate status in June, when the European Council instead granted the European perspective to the country.
During these two days, we did not meet a single MP from any party who said that Georgia should not have been given the candidate status. On the contrary, all of them said that they had been in favour of Georgia receiving the candidate status in June, and in this regard there is actually unity among the representatives of different parties [in the German parliament]”, Samkharadze said.
“We had a very interesting conversation today at the German ministry of foreign affairs, with the state secretary, who very emphatically stated that while Georgia does not yet have candidate status, it will soon have it, and also emphatically stated that Germany is seriously thinking about expanding the European Union eastwards”, the Parliament official noted.
Samkharadze stressed the statements from his German colleagues were “very important”, adding “it certainly fills each member of the Georgian delegation with great optimism”.
The “friendly and productive” ties between Georgia and Germany were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Bärbel Bas, president of the German Bundestag.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday praised Germany’s role in and support for his country’s European integration agenda, at an event in Berlin marking the 30th anniversary since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s statement that Europe should expand from Lisbon to Tbilisi is “particularly pleasant and important” to Georgia, as Germany has a special role in making relevant decisions in the direction of European integration, Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party told reporters on Saturday.
As Russia seeks to redraw the boundaries between freedom and autocracy, “we are the people of Europe”, our voice must resound throughout Europe, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from Lisbon to Tbilisi and beyond, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday at the Party of European Socialists congress in Berlin, in which the Georgian delegation is participating.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili and his parliamentary delegation on Friday discussed the "difficult" security situation in the South Caucasus region with members of the South Caucasus parliamentary group of the German Bundestag.
Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Friday said Germany was supporting the development of democracy in Georgia and the country’s integration into the European Union.
Khatuna Samnidze, an opposition MP and the Chair of the Republican Party, on Friday said Germany “stood by” Georgia and supported it in receiving the European Union membership candidate status.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the country’s legislative body and the Government were “doing everything” to fulfil the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Russian aggression in Ukraine, regional challenges, Georgia’s European Union membership bid and relations with NATO were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, and Tanja Fajon, the Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Seeking for a pragmatic policy of EU enlargement replaced the so-called Euroscepticism that some European Union countries had. Now Georgian society and political leaders must consolidate to achieve the common goal of joining the EU, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Thursday.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, on Tuesday said the country’s European partners were “not hesitant to admit” that denying Georgia the European Union membership candidate status in June had been a “mistake”.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday addressed the 44th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta, Indonesia, to highlight his country’s “strategic location”, democratic reforms and pledge sharing of legislative experience.
Future cooperation between Georgia and East Asian countries was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between a Georgian Parliamentary delegation and the officials from member states of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
A Georgian delegation chaired by Nikoloz Samkharadze, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the country’s Parliament, on Friday discussed prospects of economic, trade, cultural and educational cooperation with representatives of legislative bodies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.