June 6, 2023 – Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka and Speaker of the Slovak National Council Boris Kollár jointly made a two-day working trip to Georgia. In the capital city of Tbilisi, they held talks with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The purpose of the joint negotiations was to support Georgia’s pro-Western orientation and its territorial integrity.
The delegation also visited the border of the Russian-occupied territory of South Ossetia.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, took part in the meeting of the chairmen of the legislative assemblies of Georgia and the countries of the so-called Slavkov format (S3). In addition to the Czech Republic, it is also made up of Austria (represented at the meeting by the Chairman of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka) and Slovakia (represented by the Chairman of the National Council Boris Kollár).
“I am glad that I was able to visit Georgia in the company of my colleagues from the Slavkov format. It is the very first joint trip abroad in this composition. Our three countries are undoubtedly among the best friends and supporters of Georgia in Europe. And this ancient country should have the ambition to belong to a united, safe, and prosperous Europe,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
Monday’s program of the delegation in Tbilisi mainly included a working meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, a reception by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, and a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
“Georgia’s representatives are facing a difficult task today. Successful integration into the structures of the European Union requires the implementation of a whole series of very demanding and not always popular reforms. However, they need to be implemented not only for the sake of the EU but above all for the sake of the Georgians themselves. Georgia still has all this ahead of it. The Czech Republic has already gone through this process and, together with Austria and Slovakia, is ready to provide our Georgian friends with their experience and support them in every possible way on the way to our common European goal. During our conversations, we did not avoid controversial topics, such as problems with freedom of speech, recent controversial statements by Georgian politicians, or political polarization. However, constructive criticism is desirable between partners,” said Speaker of the Chamber Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
On Tuesday, as part of their work program in Tbilisi, the heads of Central European parliaments set aside time for an informal discussion meeting with representatives of local civil society. The whole delegation then visited the village of Odzisi, located near the border of the Russian-occupied territory of South Ossetia.
“We want to send a clear and strong signal to Russia here. Disregarding the territorial integrity of Georgia is absolutely unacceptable! The occupation of large parts of the country and the creation of puppet “states” by Russia is a clear violation of international law. Unfortunately, we are also witnessing this in Moldova or Ukraine,” added the speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
At the end of the trip, the members of the delegation completed a presentation of the project “Sustainable development of the PLA Aragvi and local communities”, which is being implemented with the financial support of the S3 countries. “Georgia has long been one of the priority targets of Czech development and transformation cooperation programs. The meaningful, balanced and sustainable development of Georgia goes hand in hand with the hope for a better future not only for the Georgians themselves but for the entire family of European democracies,” concluded President Markéta Pekarová Adamová.