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.