German Bundestag Vice President Visits Georgia
Katrin Göring-Eckardt, one of the Vice Presidents of the lower house of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, started her one-day visit to Georgia by meeting Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.
The discussion on July 19 focused on Georgia’s European aspirations and the recognition of its European perspective. Papuashvili denoted, “Georgia will actively work on the implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations to obtain [EU] candidate status.”
- EU States Recognize Georgia’s European Perspective
- European Commission’s Memo Detailing Recommendations for Georgia
Following the meeting Vice President Göring-Eckardt underscored, “It is now important that the recommendations of the EU are implemented consistently.”
The Bundestag Vice President met with President Salome Zurabishvili next where she stressed that like Ukraine and Moldova, Georgia has Germany’s support as it advances towards the EU. Along that line, Göring-Eckardt reiterated the call for the “path that has been taken to continue.”
As part of her visit, Vice President Göring-Eckardt also met with MPs Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Maka Botchorishvili, Chair of the European Integration Committee to consider the country’s plan for fulfilling the Commission’s conditions.
“We told the Vice President of the Bundestag that we are disappointed because Georgia did not receive the [EU] candidate status, however, we also explained very clearly that the recommendations will be meticulously implemented,” MP Samkharadze proclaimed after the meeting. “And we expressed great hope that the EU will make a positive decision, to which the answer was that if we fulfill all these issues, then we will have unconditional support from Germany on receiving candidacy.”
Vice President Göring-Eckardt is also expected to take part in a discussion organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation on the subject of culture, democracy, and Europe with a focus on European integration. The panel will also include Davit Usupashvili, Lelo for Georgia MP, Giorgi Maisuradze, Head of the Institute of Social and Culture Studies at Ilia State University, and Salome Jashi, documentary filmmaker and producer.
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This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)