Parliament Vice Speaker: Georgia, Ukraine targets of Russian aggression due to desire to “decide own future”
In his remarks, Talakvadze highlighted the desire for the country to “be sovereign and free”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said Georgia and Ukraine had become targets of Russian aggression over the years because of their desire to “make our own decisions about our future”.
In his remarks, Talakvadze highlighted the desire for the country to “be sovereign and free”.
We [the ruling Georgian Dream party] are the Government that, with the support of citizens and the public, put this historical choice [of the country's pro-Western foreign policy] into writing in the constitution. Now, of course, it is the turn of the European Union, our international partners”, Talakvadze said.
“Every delay in granting the [EU membership] candidate status to Georgia increases the risks. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is the leader of the political team that has implemented real European reforms in Georgia during these 10-11 years”, the Parliament official concluded.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Tuesday urged the country’s Western partners to help Tbilisi overcome its “security predicament” and get its “well-deserved” membership in the European Union and NATO, instead of offering “undue criticism” on its alleged strengthening of ties with the Kremlin on the backdrop of the latter’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday told a panel at the Bratislava Global Security Forum that Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia would have been prevented had a Georgian Dream government been in power in the country.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s comments at a panel discussion of the ongoing Global Security Forum in Bratislava and said the country obtaining the European Union membership candidate status later this year would end polarisation on the domestic political scene.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday told a panel at the Bratislava Global Security Forum the European Union not granting Georgia its membership candidate status by the end of this year would be a “big political mistake”.