Parliament Speaker Visits Scandinavian Countries

Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili is on a state visit to Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden from June 12 to 18, as the country awaits EU decision on its candidate status in the coming days. The Speaker is accompanied by ruling Georgian Dream MPs Nikoloz Samkharadze, Maka Botchorishvili and Maia Bitadze, and opposition Girchi MP Hermann Szabo.

On June 13 in Norway, Speaker Papuashvili met with Masud Gharahkhani, the President of the Norwegian Parliament to discuss the two country’s continued relationship and expanding connections between the respective Parliaments.

“The theme of the meeting was the war in Ukraine, NATO, and democratic reforms in the country,” tweeed Parliament President Gharahkhani, adding that “We encouraged them to stand up for democratic values.”

Following the meeting, Speaker Papuashvili stressed that in light of the war in Ukraine “maybe it is time when the Western, democratic society should send a sign of solidarity not only to the Ukrainian people but also to the people of Georgia and Moldova in their aspirations to become a part of the European family.”

The Speaker also met with Henrik Thune, Norwegian State Secretary for Foreign Minister, to discuss possible avenues for bilateral and multilateral cooperation and political dialogue, with the parties reviewing Georgia’s progress on the path of EU integration.

Rounding out his visit to the country, Papuashvili met with the Norwegian King Herald V.

Meetings in Denmark

Moving on to Denmark on June 14, Speaker Papuashvili met with his counterpart Danish Parliament Speaker Henrik Dam. The Georgian Speaker said forthcoming Danish embassy in Tbilisi will stimulate deeper ties and more productive bilateral partnership.

In Denmark, Parliamentary Chairperson Papuashvili also met with Queen Margrethe II.

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