Georgian Parliament Speaker hails ties in Austrian Bundesrat Chair’s maiden visit
Claudia Arpa, the Chair of the Federal Council of Austria, visited Georgia. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili’s Twitter
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Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday hailed the “positively developing” political and legislative ties between his country and Austria during an inaugural visit of Claudia Arpa, the Chair of the Federal Council of Austria.
In their Tbilisi meeting, Papuashvili also extended his gratitude to the Austrian Government for its support for Georgia’s European integration and its territorial integrity, and also highlighted the activities of the Austrian Development Agency in Georgia, the Parliament press office said.
Fruitful exchange with Claudia Arpa, President of ???????? Federal Council. Recent high-level visits demonstrate positive dynamics in ????????-???????? relations. We are grateful for ????????'s support for ????????'s territorial integrity & European choice. Talked about ????????'s economic & democratic development… pic.twitter.com/sRyuqjjJCJ
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) November 13, 2023
In comments on the ongoing process of Georgia’s application for the European Union membership candidate status, the Georgian official once again welcomed the European Commission’s positive recommendation to the European Council last week to grant Georgia the status in December, and expressed his hope the Council would officially confirm it by the end of the year.
Arpa congratulated Georgia on the recommendation and highlighted the importance of meeting the nine conditions for opening accession negotiations after Georgia’s formal obtaining of the candidate status.
In their discussion, the officials emphasised the joint measures aimed at “raising awareness of democracy among young people” and encouraging civic education.
Papuashvili also highlighted recent high-level visits of “historical significance” between the countries, ranging from the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s first official visit to Austria last year and the inaugural visit of Karl Nehammer, the Austrian Chancellor, to Georgia in January.