Hungary will be “vocal” in Council of the EU for Georgia’s integration - Parliament Committee Chair

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Wednesday said Hungary was expected to be “vocal” in voicing its support for Georgia’s European integration at the Council of the European Union, the bloc’s key decision-maker, ahead of the EU’s decision later this year whether to grant Tbilisi its membership candidate status. 

The lawmaker’s press comment, which also claimed “close ties have been developed” between the two countries over the past several years, came amid the ongoing official visit of Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister, to Georgia. 

She noted the “close partnership” benefited “not only bilateral ties, but also Georgia’s EU integration goals”. 

Hungary openly says that Tbilisi deserves not only the bloc’s candidacy, but also its membership”, Botchorishvili said. 

In his previous comments, Orbán slammed the European Council’s decision last year on granting Tbilisi a European perspective instead of the full candidate status as “unfair”, and called for a “merit-based” outcome later this year, while describing himself as the “most devoted supporter” of Georgia’s European integration. 

He is scheduled to hold a face-to-face meeting with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili in the afternoon, before the officials make joint press comments.