Parliament official: “immediate” opening of EU accession talks important for “success” of enlargement policy

She also said ensuring the unity required “enlargement of the area of peace, security and prosperity without delay”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia

Agenda.ge, 04 Mar 2024 - 17:10, Tbilisi,Georgia

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Integration Committee, on Monday said the European Union’s accession talks with “all candidate countries” should start “immediately” to ensure “success” of the bloc’s enlargement policy.

In her address at the ongoing Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence in Bruges, Botchorishvili highlighted that discussing EU enlargement at the Security and Defence Conference was “proof” that a “safe and secure future” for the bloc “lies in our unity”.

She also said ensuring the unity required “enlargement of the area of peace, security and prosperity without delay”.

Georgia's fight for independence and sovereignty dates back over 30 years. Despite Russia's aggression and its continuous illegal occupation of Georgian regions, we managed to transform the country and secure its place among democratic nations”, she said.

“However, we still have a long way to go to achieve our ultimate goal. We committed ourselves to necessary reforms, and we need strong allies and support on this path. Time is extremely precious, and in today's complex, changing and unpredictable world it would be a big geopolitical mistake to waste it on formalities or in countering wrong perceptions”, the lawmaker continued.

She further pointed out the success of the enlargement policy was “directly linked” to European security and “should not be hampered for any reason”.