Russia’s aggression against Ukraine “of particular concern,” Georgia stands by Kyiv – Parliament Speaker

Russian military aggression against Ukraine is of particular concern .Georgia strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said in his annual speech in the country’s state legislature on Wednesday. 

He suggested that the Georgian parliamentary delegation was one of the first to visit the war-torn country, while the Georgian state legislature was one of the first to pass a resolution in support of Ukraine in the wake of Russian invasion of the country back in February of this year. 

“I once again express my full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and wish them peace,”Papuashvili said.

He also stated that “today we are in the parliament of a country that has been able to meet the most difficult international and domestic challenges of recent years, maintain peace and ensure the security of its citizens.”

“Today Georgia is in a historical process,” he said, referring to the country’s expectations to receive the EU candidate status following its bid for membership on March 3 of this year. 

Papuashvili has accused the opposition of “damaging the country’s image” and “telling lies,” following the 2020 parliamentary elections as the opposition claimed the polls were fabricated. 

He also said that the opposition was trying to hamper the country’s European integration. 

The opposition MPs accused Papuashvili and the Georgian Dream authorities of “cheating the public and slowing the country’s progress.”