We must ensure that the people of Georgia do not miss a historic opportunity 

 

Welcoming the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili to the European Parliament, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that we need to work more and closer together towards granting EU candidate status to Georgia, ensuring that the Georgian people do not miss a historic opportunity.

Dear colleagues,

We have with us today, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili. President, dear Salome, welcome to the European Parliament. 

And let me start, dear President, by thanking you for your personal commitment in supporting the European calling of Georgian society. We want the right conditions to exist to enable an EU future for Georgian citizens.

I want to reiterate that we stand by your side, ready to support you in your journey to become an integral part of the European Union.

We need to work more and closer together towards granting EU candidate status to Georgia, ensuring that the Georgian people do not miss a historic opportunity. 

For this, we need to see tangible movement on a number of milestones: in securing democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights; in ensuring media freedom and protecting journalists; in safeguarding fundamental rights and personal dignity for detainees, and here let me reiterate that this house has repeatedly expressed its concern over the situation of Mikheil Saakashvili.

The European Union stands ready to assist Georgia on its European path, providing all the necessary assistance along this transformative journey. But it is for Georgia to walk that path and to choose its own future. 

Madame President, I commend the strength with which you lead your country. We further count on you to help ease the political and societal polarisation in Georgia. 

Let us keep working together to safeguard the rights of our European peoples and the future of our societies. 

The floor is yours.