Brussel's effort to ignore the democratic will of the Georgian people has hit a serious roadblock.Continue reading
Salva Papuasvili, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, visited Budapest on Monday, where he held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and signed a cooperation agreement with László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament.
Hungary will continue to support Georgia in its efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, László Kövér stressed after the signing of the agreement. With this document, the cooperation between the Hungarian and Georgian parliaments has reached the strategic level at which intergovernmental relations between the two countries have been since 2022, he said.
László Kövér and Salva Papuasvili (L-R) shaking hands after signing the agreement. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
He added that Hungary is determined to ensure that all countries and EU institutions respect Georgia’s sovereignty.
Any attempt to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs or to question its sovereignty in shaping its own history is unacceptable,”
he stressed.
The EU’s attitude towards the Georgian government has not changed since then, as the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council decided on Monday to suspend the visa facilitation agreement between the European Union and Georgia for diplomats and officials. Under the decision, Georgian diplomats, officials and their family members holding diplomatic and service passports will need visas to travel to the EU for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
According to a statement from the Council, the decision is a response to Georgian legislation adopted last year, including the ‘Law on transparency of foreign influence’ a legislative package on ‘family values and protection of minors’. The EU believes that these laws undermine the fundamental rights of the Georgian people, “including the freedom of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, and increases stigmatization and discrimination.”
Kövér underlined that the Georgian people’s problem is fully understood, as the relations between Georgia and the EU are experiencing phenomena that Hungary has already had to endure as an EU member state.
Georgia must meet the criteria for EU membership, but the assessment of these criteria must be based solely on objective facts and not on ideological prejudices.
Hungary will use both the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in the international arena to help Georgia become a full member of the EU sooner rather than later,” the Hungarian Parliament Speaker said.
Thanking and appreciating Hungary’s friendly support and assistance, Salva Papuasvili said it was a great honor for him to visit Hungary and described his talks with László Kövér as fruitful. He added that they had been able to discuss specific security and political issues and thanked Hungary for its assistance in supporting Georgia’s sovereignty aspirations.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received Salva Papuasvili at the Carmelite Monastery on Monday. In addition to close political cooperation, the two politicians also discussed current issues of economic and energy relations, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief, told the press.
It’s time for the bureaucrats in Brussels and the Soros-network to stop attacking the government in Georgia. I expressed my support to Chairman @shpapuashvili in their fight for Georgia’s sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/GV6wg6icYI
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) January 27, 2025
At the meeting, the Hungarian Prime Minister said that
the attacks by Brussels and the Soros network against the pro-peace Georgian government and the EU funding of the Tbilisi government’s opponents must be stopped.
He added that Georgia is a country ready for EU membership and should be admitted to the EU as soon as possible.
During Monday’s talks, the two politicians agreed that Hungarian-Georgian relations are based on shared values, including cultural and Christian heritage and a commitment to peace. It is in our common interest that our economic partnership should reflect the level and intensity of our political relations, Viktor Orbán said. He also noted that it was important to further strengthen Hungarian-Georgian investment and business relations and to expand bilateral trade in the coming years.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher