Georgia’s Parliamentary Delegation Visited Ukraine
Georgian cross-party parliamentary delegation traveled to the towns of Bucha and Irpin northwest of Kyiv, which saw egregious crimes during weeks-long Russian occupation during the official visit to Ukraine
“No words can describe the suffering [and] misery in Bucha and Irpen — an unspeakable [and] shocking tragedy in the heart of Europe in XXI century,” tweeted Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, who lead the Georgian delegation.
He stated: “Russia must end these atrocities. There is no alternative to peace.”
Speaker Papuashvili said Georgians too have memories of “our own Buchas and Irpins” in occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia from the wars in 1990s and Russo-Georgian War in August 2008.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Stefanchuk hosted the Georgian delegation in the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv. Mr. Stefanchuk stated that the visit is an excellent manifestation of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Georgia’s parliamentary delegation, along with Speaker Papuashvili, included Vice Speakers Archil Talakvadze and Davit Sergeenko from the ruling Georgian Dream party, Georgian Dream MP Beka Odisharia, Vice Speaker Levan Ioseliani of the Citizens Party, Lelo MP Ana Natsvlishvili, MP Giorgi Khojevanishvili of For Georgia, Girchi MP Vakhtang Megrelishvili, and MP Khatuna Samnidze, the Republican party leader.
Meanwhile, the United National Movement, Georgia’s largest opposition party, refused to participate in the visit alongside its arch-rival GD. The party leaders, including its chairperson Nika Melia, reported about their arrival to Kyiv on April 15. Ex-President Giorgi Margvelashvili joined UNM in their visit.
EU Membership Questionnaire for Georgia Was Made Public
The Georgian Government today released publicly the questionnaire delivered by the European Commission to prepare the Opinion on the country’s membership application to the EU.
The 42-page-long document is divided into two parts, political and economic criteria, consisting of 369 questions in total. The two parts are divided into three and two sections, respectively, and about 20 subsections in total.
Commissioner Várhelyi handed over the document to FM Darchiashvili in Luxembourg on April 11. Georgia has a month to deliver the answers.
Georgia followed the suit of Russia-invaded Ukraine to fast-track its EU application on March 3. Later that day Moldova also applied for membership.
Three More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine
Three more Georgian volunteers fighting for Ukraine were killed in action , Vano Nadiradze, a long-time Georgian fighter in Ukraine announced on Facebook.
Nadiradze first reported about the death of Arkadi Kasradze in the town of Rubizhne in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region.
Later that day, Nadiradze wrote about the deaths of two more Georgian fighters Zaza Bitsadze and Alika Tsaava.
With the passing of the three men, the death toll of Georgian volunteer fighters against Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine has increased to nine.