It is significant that the Swedish Foreign Ministry corrected the Prime Minister’s statement and confirmed that the issue of LGBTQ marriage is beyond the formal criteria for membership – stated Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament, in response to the statement by Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz, who noted that EU legislation does not require member states or candidate countries to adopt the concept of LGBTQ marriage in their legislation.

As Shalva Papuashvili writes on his Facebook page, this clarification reaffirms that the law on “Family Values and Protection of Minors,” which enjoys the greatest public support, is in line with the general principles of European integration.

“This clarification once again confirms that the law on ‘Family Values and Protection of Minors,’ which has the greatest public support, aligns with the general principles of European integration. It is also important that the agreed principles between Georgia and the European Union regarding Georgia’s EU membership remain the foundation of our relationship, and that individual countries, politicians, and bureaucracies do not arbitrarily interpret them or create artificial obstacles on our path to European integration. Georgia remains committed to European integration, and it is essential that we steadfastly protect the rights of our people in line with our national values and state interests,” Papuashvili noted.

For reference, Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz, responded in writing to a question from “InterpressNews,” stating that “EU treaties guarantee the full legal protection of the rights of all minorities, including the LGBTQ community, but EU legislation does not require member states or candidate countries to adopt the exact same concept of [LGBTQ] marriage in their legislation.”

As Jessica Rosencrantz declared, Sweden has extensive experience in supporting the rights of minorities, including the LGBTQ community, which is one of the core values of the European Union.

“The Swedish minister for EU affairs Jessica Rosencrantz wishes to issue the following statement: “Sweden has a long track-record of supporting and advancing the rights of the LGBTI communities and will continue, proudly, to do so. The EU treaties guarantee full legal protection of the rights of all minorities, including the LGBTI community. All EU citizens share the same indisputable right to live free from discrimination, hate or threats of violence. This is a core value of our Union and a non-negotiable condition for any candidate country. However, EU law does not require its Member States or candidate countries to adopt in their respective legislation the exact same notion of marriage,” the Swedish minister told “InterpressNews.”