Georgian Parliament officials, Latvian State Secretary review EU integration

Georgia-EU relations, the country's European perspective and expectations on its bid for membership in the bloc were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Georgian Parliament officials and Andris Pelšs, the State Secretary of the Latvian foreign office.

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee of the lawmaking body, and her First Deputy Levan Kurumidze noted reforms that had been “successfully carried out” by the Georgian authorities on the path of European integration, which they said had been reflected in a recent evaluation of the European Commission.

The parties also discussed the implementation of the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status later this year and progress in the work, the Parliament’s press office said.

Botchorishvili said she hoped the efforts would be “properly evaluated” by European institutions and would be reflected in “political decisions” of EU member states on the country’s membership bid.

The meeting also focused on the current situation in the Black Sea region, Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine and its effects on European security issues. 

The officials highlighted the need for “clear steps” in the context of the EU's enlargement policy.