The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Maka Botchorishvili, participated in a panel discussion held in Budapest within the framework of the Patriots for Europe meeting.

According to the ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maka Botchorishvili focused on the protection of national interests.

"I represent a country that, as you mentioned, is not yet a member of the European Union, but is aspiring to join the European Union. My country has been striving for centuries to integrate into the European family, and in recent decades to join the European Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, we considered European structures, especially the European Union, to be the best guarantor of protecting our sovereignty, which is why we applied for EU membership and why we signed an Association Agreement with the EU in 2014. Georgia is a country that shares European values ​​- values ​​that are organic to our society," Maka Botchorishvili noted.

The Minister also spoke about the challenges that accompany the EU accession process.

"Unfortunately, after the application for membership in the European Union, we have seen how this important issue, supported by approximately 80% of the Georgian population, has become an instrument of political pressure, internal political games, external pressure and external interference in internal affairs. We are increasingly seeing that this problem exists not only outside the European Union, but also within the European Union - in its member states," the Minister said.

Speaking about security issues, the Foreign Minister noted that sovereign decisions are vital for maintaining peace in the country and ensuring stability, especially in light of the challenges in the region.

"When it comes to security, sovereign decision-making is vital to ensuring peace, stability and economic growth in the country. Georgia's economic growth is about 9.5% per year, which is an impressive figure in Europe. This result can only be achieved in one way - we must protect the sovereignty of our country and not threaten peace in this difficult geopolitical environment," the Minister noted.

In conclusion, Maka Botchorishvili once again emphasized the importance of sovereignty.

"We must approach the issue of protecting sovereignty with particular seriousness, because this is the only solid foundation on which the future of Europe should be based," the Minister said.

The panel discussion was attended by Fidesz Vice-President and MEP Kinga Gal, Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs Janos Boka, Polish MEP Anna Brylka, Belgian MEP Tom Vanderdriesche, Czech MEP Ondrej Knotek, Austrian Member of the Local Parliament, Vice-Governor Udo Landbauer and Hungarian Government Spokesperson Zlatan Kovacs.