Venice Commission Head pledges “closer cooperation” with Georgia, commends ties
Tamar Taliashvili, Georgia’s representative to CoE, has met with the Venice Commission Head. Photo: Georgia in the CoE
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Claire Bazy Malaurie, the newly appointed Head of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, on Friday expressed readiness to further strengthen cooperation with Georgia and praised the country’s “active communication” with the body to meet the European Union’s 12-point conditions for obtaining the bloc’s membership candidate status.
In a meeting with Tamar Taliashvili, Georgia’s representative to CoE in Strasbourg, the official discussed the implementation process of the EU conditions, with the Commission engaged in ensuring legal aid in the process as well as on a number of the country’s democratic reforms over the years.
On her part, Taliashvili highlighted the “importance of fruitful cooperation” with the Venice Commission in a bid to upgrade the country’s legal framework and bring it into “full compliance” with European standards.
She also invited the Commission head to Georgia on an official visit next year.
The European Council granted Georgia a European perspective in June and issued a set of recommendations on judiciary, electoral and other reforms for the country to obtain the bloc’s membership candidate status next year.
Prospects of Georgia's European integration and ongoing work in the process were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili and Tamar Taliashvili, the newly appointed representative of the country to the Council of Europe.
Tamar Taliashvili, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the Parliamentary work on the 12-point conditions outlined by the EU for granting the country the membership candidate status was proceeding according to plan, with the principles of “openness, transparency and inclusiveness” ensured.
Tamar Taliashvili, Georgia's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, on Wednesday said the Georgian Government “strongly condemned” Russia’s intention to hold illegal municipal elections in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions this fall.