Georgia “firmly” belongs to Europe - Parliament Speaker
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said that there were “no question marks” over the country's European future, in his speech at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the June decision of the European Council to grant Georgia a European perspective had “removed all question marks” about the country’s European future and reaffirmed Georgia “firmly belongs to Europe”.
Speaking at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands, the Georgian official said “many generations have dreamed and fought” for the country’s European integration, and noted the Government was “doing its utmost” to meet the bloc’s 12-point conditions to obtain the EU membership candidate status.
Pointing to challenges sparked by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and occasional clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Papuashvili said Georgia was managing to maintain its foreign policy priorities.
Pleased to engage in public discussion at @Clingendaelorg on Georgia's European choice, EU reforms agenda, consequences of war in ????????, & current developments in the South Caucasus. Always enjoyed lively discussions with the community of experts and journalists. pic.twitter.com/kbUIyRiHYW
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) December 5, 2022
We have to live in a changing world. The changes are triggering political, economic, social, climate and military complications. Russia's aggression against Ukraine, renewed military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and other challenges are clear examples of this. Europe's security architecture has come under tremendous pressure”, said the official.
He also noted Georgia was “successfully fulfilling” the EU conditions for the candidate status, and stressed obtaining it would be a “great incentive for other countries in our region” and mitigate efforts of “ill-wishers” like Russia, “who wants to cover our region with a geopolitical iron curtain again".
Georgia applied for EU membership in March and was granted a European perspective in June. The bloc also set 12 conditions for the country, which includes the implementation of judiciary, electoral and other reforms, to obtain the 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.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, together with the parliamentary delegation will hold meetings in the Netherlands and Luxembourg from December 5 to 8, the parliament’s press office said.
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.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the majority of the European Union conditions for granting Georgia the membership candidate status would be fulfilled by the end of December and noted that the implementation of the rest depended on the assessments of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and the constructive cooperation of the opposition.
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.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said his Government was pledging “full and absolute” political support to Ukraine and providing humanitarian aid “beyond its capabilities”, but “cannot and will not” provide military aid.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said Georgia's aspirations to join the European Union were “well received” in the Netherlands.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday highlighted his meeting with counterparts in the Luxembourg Parliament by saying “along with their hearts, their voices also support Georgia’s European perspective”.
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.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said the legislative body had adopted 291 laws this year, including 82 designed for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status next year, in his end-of-year comments on lawmaking work throughout 2022.