The Foreign Relations Committee heard the reports of the Parliamentary Delegations for 2024. Speaker of the Parliament, delivered the annual report of the Delegation to IPU. As he underlined, the Delegation, during the reporting period, participated in the IPU Assembly and the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

“IPU continues to serve as a preeminent international platform for the consideration of global challenges, solutions, the exchange of best practices, and the enhancement of parliamentary diplomacy at both bilateral and multilateral levels with a diverse range of countries. Participation in the IPU presents a valuable opportunity to enhance the non-recognition policy towards the occupied regions of Georgia and foster international cooperation. Correspondingly, we aspire to further take an active part in IPU events”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.

The report of the Parliamentary Delegation to the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy was held by the Head of the Delegation, Irakli Kadagishvili. According to him, the Delegation participated in the first sitting of the IPO Committee on the Amendments to the Constituent Articles (Rules of Procedure), and the autumn session of the international secretariat of the Assembly.

“As stipulated in the Articles, adopted approximately 30 years ago, the Russian Federation was granted the prerogative of holding the position of President for life tenure, while Greece was afforded the opportunity to retain the position of Executive Secretary”, - he elucidated.

Per his information, based on the decision of the Constituting Commission, the amendments introduced to the Articles deprive the Russian Federation of the position of an IPO presiding country. As the reporter noted, the promotion of Christian values in Europe is one of the Assembly’s primary priorities, and their reflection in the political and social fabric of Europe.

Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, heading the Parliamentary Delegation to OSCE PA, introduced the annual report. As he said, central topic of the winter session was focused on security in the OSCE region, the developments in Ukraine, as well as the role of OSCE in their solutions.

Samkharadze dwelt on the illegal activities undertaken by Russia on the occupied territories of Georgia. The reporter highlighted the OSCE PA summer session, which was quite pressing for the Georgian Delegation. As he explained, the American Delegation introduced amendments to the final documents that were unacceptable to the Georgian Delegation. These very amendments were the basis for Samkharadze’s sharp criticism in his speeches: “If I were not present during this process, I would assume that these amendments and their formulation were derived from the Russian Duma members. However, the reality was that the Russians did not even attend the session. The amendment, introduced in the paragraph about Russia’s occupation of Georgian territories, is formulated as Russia has been attempting to position it for the past 16 years during Geneva Talks, as if it is not a conflict party. As an example, the amendment states: “It is crucial to reconcile the Tbilisi-controlled Georgia with Abkhazia and Ossetia”.

As Samkharadze underlined, in response to the blatant disregard for the national interests, the Georgian Delegation has cast its vote against the declaration. The Head of the Delegation underscored that he participated in three electoral observation missions on behalf of the OSCE: in the Presidential Election in Azerbaijan, the Parliamentary Elections in North Macedonia, and the Presidential and Congressional Elections in the US.

“I would like to emphasize the fact that for the first time, the representative of Georgia was appointed as the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR, European Parliament, and the PACE joint observation mission, which means that the first statement on the election outcomes was made by me on behalf of international organizations in Skopje”, - he stated.

The report of the Parliamentary Delegation to EuroNest PA was introduced by the Head of the Delegation, the Chair of the EU Integration Committee, Levan Makhashvili: “During the reporting period, the primary focus of the Delegation in the Assembly was to, foremost, mobilize support for the EU membership and also to emphasize the developments in the EU member and partner states on EU integration, the exchange of best practices, and the approximation of our positions following international events”.

Givi Mikanadze, Chair of the Education, Science and Youth Affairs Committee and the Head of Parliamentary Delegation to PACE overviewed the reporting period.

According to him, the Delegation took part in all four sessions. The members of the Delegation delivered their speeches at the debates around the resolutions. Also, Georgian Delegation proposed an amendment to the resolution, accurately reflecting the reality of Georgia’s acceptance as a candidate state of the European Union. Per the reporter, during the session, the members of the Subcommittee on the Implementation of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights re-elected Mikanadze for the position of Chair for 1 year with the 2nd term.

Mikanadze widely overviewed the activities upheld during the summer and autumn sessions. The report of the Parliamentary Delegation to NATO PA was also introduced by Mikanadze. According to him, the Delegation participated in the NATO-organized 4 events.

The meetings during the visit to Brussels were dedicated to regional security, the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia, the impact of the wide-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine on the national security of Georgia, the EU integration progress of the country, and the ongoing and upheld reforms, as well as the Annual National Program and the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package.

The high-level meetings were held within the framework of the visit to NATO Headquarters, dedicated to the consideration of Georgia’s NATO integration, the security challenges in the Black Sea region, and the extension of NATO-Georgia cooperation. Upon this, Georgian MPs underscored the necessity of the country’s NATO integration.