Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, Nikoloz Samkharadze, who is attending the 150th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, met with a delegation from the French Senate as well as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss Parliament, Laurent Wehrli.

“In my conversation with the French delegation, we discussed Georgia-EU relations,” Samkharadze said. “The French side noted that ongoing global challenges, including the war in Ukraine, have complicated the enlargement process and negotiations with all candidate countries—not just Georgia. Other pressing issues have taken priority over enlargement.”

“We agreed with our French colleagues that, at this moment, Ukraine and regional security are understandably a greater priority than EU enlargement, which is only being considered for 2030. Still, we emphasized the importance of Georgia continuing its path toward European integration,” Samkharadze added.

He also highlighted Georgia’s unique geopolitical challenges.

“I asked the French authorities to understand that Georgia cannot act like Estonia, they are NATO members, and we are not. We have Russian troops stationed just 35 kilometers from our capital, and we lack both security guarantees and economic solidarity. France should take this reality into account, not only when discussing EU integration, but also in the context of bilateral relations,” Samkharadze said.

According to Samkharadze, his meeting with Swiss representatives also addressed the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories.

“Switzerland represents Georgia’s interests in Russia and vice versa. We discussed recent developments, and I briefed them on the situation in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. My Swiss colleague emphasized that Georgia’s occupation remains a priority on Switzerland’s foreign agenda and that the country is committed to playing a constructive role despite the complexity of the situation,” Samkharadze declared.