President of German Bundestag Visits Georgia

The President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bärbel Bas, is on an official visit to Georgia. She has already met the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili and the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, after which the parties issued a joint statement to the press.

A meeting with the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili was also held as part of the visit. In a post shared on Twitter, Zurabishvili stated about the meeting: “Good discussion of Germany’s support for Georgia’s European & Euro-Atlantic integration paths, which have no alternative for Georgia. Georgian People appreciate the support of the German nation”.

On July 11, the President of the Bundestag visited the occupation line as well. “EUMM monitors briefed the German delegation on the challenges faced by the local population on both sides of the ABL, including the closure of the Odzisi crossing point for regular cross-ABL traffic and the impact of ‘borderisation’ activities on freedom of movement,” – states the press release of EUMM.

Meeting with the Prime Minister

On July 11, the President of the Bundestag and the Prime Minister of Georgia held a meeting. The parties discussed the existing relations between Germany and Georgia and the future prospects of cooperation. Irakli Garibashvili thanked Bärbel Bas for her country’s support of Georgia’s institutional and socio-economic transformation, as well as its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to the press release of the Georgian Government, “the meeting highlighted the progress made by Georgia on its way to join the European Union, including the ongoing reforms within the recommendations of the European Council. It was noted that Georgia appreciates Germany’s strong support for Georgia’s EU membership. During the meeting, the Head of Government reiterated that Georgia’s European aspirations are unwavering. The efforts made by Georgia in the direction of fulfilling the 12-point recommendations of the European Commission were emphasized”.

Meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament

According to the Parliament’s press release Papuashvili thanked his German counterpart for the unwavering support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the policy of non-recognition of the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia, as well as the institutional and socio-economic development of our country since the restoration of independence.

The parties discussed Georgia’s membership in the EU and NATO, the steps and expectations of Germany and Georgia on this path, the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its consequences, developments in the region and security challenges. The counterparts underlined that the high-level meetings and visits are based on a productive and long-standing cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science, etc.

According to Ms. Bas, Germany supports Georgia’s integration into the EU and intends to continue supporting our country as it has done for the last three decades.

At the press briefing, Shalva Papuashvili thanked Germany for its support of Georgia’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed that high-level meetings between Georgia and Germany are the result of deepening political dialogue and reflect close people-to-people relations.

He also expressed the hope that Germany will be a country that supports Georgia’s European integration, saying that it can fulfil a historic mission for Georgia and ensure “the strengthening of peace and prosperity in our country by granting Georgia the status of a candidate country for the European Union”.

For her part, the President of the Bundestag said that Georgia and Germany have enjoyed close partnership relations for many years. She said that it is impressive that the majority of the Georgian population considers itself to be European. She recalled however the events of 8 July, when pro-Russian ultra-conservative forces disrupted the Pride festival and stressed that this violated freedom of assembly and minority rights, which are inherent European values. The President reiterated her support for Georgia’s European integration and said that necessary reforms should continue.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)