Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili is taking part in the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tanzania. According to him, this body is of particular importance to Tbilisi in the context of the non-recognition policy regarding the occupied territories.
This year, the Republic of Nauru joined the organization, having officially revoked its recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in July.
“I will have the opportunity to address the Assembly on the challenges of democratic governance. Naturally, bilateral meetings will also be held with parliamentary delegations from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This assembly brings together the parliaments of nearly 180 countries; it is one of the largest international associations that carries political weight and represents a union of parliaments.
For us, the Assembly has always been an important platform for actively promoting the non-recognition policy. This year, Nauru became a member of the Assembly. We will have the opportunity to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru as well. As is known, Nauru recently revoked its recognition of the so-called independence of the occupied territories and established diplomatic relations with us. Consequently, the path to membership in this Assembly opened for it, and we will have the opportunity to communicate in a bilateral format and hold an introductory meeting.
It is better to maintain direct communication with geographically distant countries. Georgia cannot cover absolutely every state with its embassies. Accordingly, this conference offers an opportunity to meet parliamentary speakers from different continents in one place, engage with them, and convey the issues that are of fundamental importance to us in the international legal arena,” Papuashvili stated.
