The delegation of the European Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia consisting of Maka Bouchorishvili and Viktor Sanikidze, as well as Giorgi Khakhubia took part in the 20th Anniversary Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on European Integration of the States participating in the Stabilization Process of Southeast Asia (COSAP) which was held in Belgrade. The press office of Parliament distributes information about this.
According to the published information, in addition to the representatives of Western Balkan countries and the European Integration Committees of Hungary, Poland, and the future EU Chairman country, the Serbian National Assembly chairman, the Minister of European Integration, and other invited guests attended the conference.
Participants discussed the EU enlargement policies, the achievements and challenges faced by the candidate countries, as well as the influence of geopolitical environments and issues related regional cooperation.
Maka Bochorishvili spoke about the challenges facing Georgia and the progress made by Georgia on the path to associating itself with the European Union.
“Georgia was declared a candidate for EU membership in December last year. The vast majority Georgians support Georgia’s integration in the European Union. Last week, Georgians voted in parliamentary elections. More than 53 percent of voters said that they trusted the ruling party with their European future. The European Commission published its report on enlargement last week.
Maka Bochorishvili said that Georgia has made progress in 25 of the 35 chapters. Despite many accusations and rumors, Georgia is ahead of other candidate countries on the issue of fundamental human rights.
The Chairman of the European Integration Committee spoke also about disinformation campaigns that create false perceptions of Georgia and have a detrimental impact on the European Integration Process.
“We cannot ignore massive disinformation campaigns about Georgia, which often overshadow positive developments and create very incorrect ideas about Georgia. We must realize the danger of such an approach, as we are dealing with a country that faces huge security challenges and maintaining stability is vital for future development”, said Maka Bochorishvili.
She highlighted the security challenges facing Georgia, the geopolitical significance of Georgia within the context of EU enlargement policies and the need to maintain stability and security in the region.
“When we speak about European integration as merit-based, this principle shouldn’t be applied selectively.” Georgia, as an EU candidate, should have the chance to begin the process of negotiation with the European Union, and make the road to joining the European Union unreversible,” said Maka Boroshivili.
The conference also discussed regional cooperation and connectivity. Maka Bochorishvili, during the discussion, spoke about the importance of the Middle Corridor and the role of Georgia in connecting Europe and Asia.
Since 2005, the COSAP Parliamentary Conference is a platform for Western Balkan countries to cooperate on EU integration. Georgia, which held the first interparliamentary conference between Georgia and the Western Balkans countries in Tbilisi to discuss EU integration issues this year, laid the groundwork for a new form of consultations among the candidate countries. The Georgian parliamentary delegaiton is now participating in the COSAP Parliamentary Conference for the second consecutive time, at the invitation from the host country.
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