Shalva Papuashvili: We hope that the EU will grant Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova candidate status - a testament to the fact that the voices of these peoples have been heard and our struggle has been seen
We hope that, despite skeptics, as on May 9, 1950, the EU will make a historical and correct decision and grant Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova candidate status - a testament to the fact that the voices of the Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan peoples have been heard and our struggle has been seen, Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, stated in his speech at the event dedicated to Europe Day.
According to Papuashvili, this year Europe Day is celebrated in Georgia in a different environment, because on March 3, 2022, the country applied for EU membership, which marked the beginning of a new phase in Georgia-EU relations. The Speaker of the Parliament also stressed that the legitimacy of this historical decision lies in the unwavering will of the Georgian people.
"This year we celebrate Europe Day in a different environment. Georgia applied to join the European Union on March 3, 2022, starting a new phase in Georgia-EU relations, state-building and strengthening. This is a truly historical event - the historical-constitutional basis and legitimacy of this decision lies in the unshakable will of the Georgian people, the legacy of the First Republic of Georgia and the democratic and progressive values enshrined in the 1921 Constitution," Shalva Papuashvili said.
The Speaker of the Parliament spoke about the Russian military aggression in Ukraine. According to him, the war for freedom did not start with Ukraine in 2022 and Georgia has been involved in the fight for a European future from the very first moment of its independence.
"Today, Ukraine is engaged in a war for freedom - a war that did not start with Ukraine in 2022, a war that does not only concern Ukraine. This is a struggle for a European choice. This is a struggle that Georgians have known very well since the 1990s and 2008. Georgia has been involved in this struggle since the first minute of the restoration of independence. This is a struggle for Georgia's European application, for the historical choice of our people, and it is the blood shed for our European future and European family.
Even today, despite the occupation and its tragic consequences, the Georgian people do not change this choice, because Europe is the only alternative to preservation of identity and values; Europe is the basis for long-term peace and prosperity," Shalva Papuashvili said.
