Parliament Chairman Participates in the NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, participated in a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) at the level of permanent representatives held on December 6 at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
According to the press service of the Parliament of Georgia, during the meeting, the Chairman of the Parliament provided detailed information to the ambassadors of the member states of the Alliance about the ongoing democratic reforms in the country and emphasized the progress achieved by Georgia in several areas.
In his speech, he also addressed the significance of enhancing cooperation between NATO and Georgia, highlighting the challenging geopolitical situation in the region. This includes Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its impact on both Georgia and the broader Black Sea region.
"At the NATO Washington summit, the Georgian side unequivocally emphasized the necessity of Georgia's accession to the alliance. In response, the Allies welcomed the progress achieved by the country on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. They underscored the qualitatively high-level relations between Georgia and the Alliance, emphasizing the importance of continuing the successful implementation of planned reforms.
The ambassadors expressed gratitude to the Georgian side for its valuable contribution to ensuring common Euro-Atlantic security. They reiterated the alliance's strong support for the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty." the statement reads.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Parliament Chairman, stated that at the NATO-Georgia Commission, he emphasized the importance of NATO sharing the approaches that the European Union has recently.
"At the NATO-Georgia Commission meeting, I discussed how Georgia manages to maintain a safe environment in a challenging security context while actively participating in international security, including support for Ukraine.
I was talking about the fact that in the wake of the progress of integration in the European Union, it is important for NATO to share the approaches that the European Union has recently when we are given clear expectations in the form of recommendations. These recommendations are then followed by appropriate decisions when we make progress in this or that recommendation.
It is important that NATO adopts these approaches and communicates to us the exact criteria and expectations. Also, it seems that when there is progress on these issues, it will be followed by decisions from the side of NATO," Papuashvili said.
