“EU membership has been a long-time choice of Georgia. We acknowledge that it requires much effort before we reach the goal. We need a dialogue with partners on all significant issues for this process to be mutually beneficial,” said Maka Botchorishvili, Chair of the parliamentary European Integration Committee, addressing the annual meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA).

According to Maka Botchhorishvili, constant speculations over Georgia’s European course and using that issue for political tools will hamper Georgia’s progress on the EU integration path.

“We have often seen the attempts to portray the will of the Georgian people and government as distanced. We should not forget about one important fact: The vast majority of the Georgian population aspires to Europe, over 85% wants EU membership, and the majority of those entrust their European future to the political force that is in power in Georgia today.

Yes, this is not an easy task, in this turbulent period to care about preserving peace and stability in the country and at the same time to ensure stable, democratic, and economic development, which are also vital for our European future.

In this complex situation, we count on support, fair and objective assessments, and attitudes on the part of our partners.

Dear colleagues, when it comes to Georgia, do not hurry to make conclusions based on false misconceptions. Look at figures, look for facts and you will receive more responses than from unnecessary speculations,” said Maka Botchorishvili.