Shalva Papuashvili: It is better to have direct communication with countries that are geographically distant from us - the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly is an opportunity to meet parliamentary speakers from different continents in one place

According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly brings together the parliaments of around 180 countries and is one of the largest international parliamentary organizations, which Georgia actively uses to pursue its policy of non-recognition of the occupied territories.

Papuashvili is participating, together with a parliamentary delegation, in the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tanzania.

As Papuashvili noted, the Assembly is particularly important for Georgia in terms of its policy of non-recognition of the occupied territories. According to him, Nauru joined the organization this year, and the Georgian delegation plans to meet with the Speaker of the Nauruan Parliament.

Papuashvili explained that Nauru recently revoked its recognition of the so-called independence of Georgia’s occupied territories.

“I will have the opportunity to speak about the challenges of democratic governance within the framework of the Assembly. Of course, there will also be bilateral meetings with parliamentary delegations from European, Asian, African, and Latin American countries. This Assembly brings together the parliaments of around 180 countries and is one of the largest international organizations, with political significance, bringing together parliaments.

The Assembly has always been important to us in order to actively pursue the policy of non-recognition. Nauru joined the Assembly this year. We will have the opportunity to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru as well. As you know, Nauru recently revoked its recognition of the so-called independence of the occupied territories and established diplomatic relations with Georgia. This opened the way for it to become a member of the Assembly, and we will have the opportunity to discuss matters in a bilateral format as well as hold an introductory meeting.

It is better to have direct communication with countries that are geographically far away. Georgia’s embassies cannot cover every country either. Therefore, this conference is an opportunity to meet parliamentary speakers from different continents in one place, establish relations with them, and in this way raise awareness of the issues that are important to us in the international legal arena,” Shalva Papuashvili said.