“This visit to China is of historic significance in that it is the first official visit to China by a Speaker of the Georgian Parliament in the past twenty years,” stated the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, speaking to Georgian journalists in China.

Shalva Papuashvili spoke about the meetings held in China.

“Today we had the opportunity to meet with the Chairman of the National People’s Congress and with the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. We held discussions on cooperation between our legislative bodies. Friendship groups have been established in both parliaments and are in constant communication with one another. It is important, however, that this visit gives fresh impetus to ever closer cooperation between our parliaments across a range of areas.

Both political cooperation between the parliaments and sectoral directions were discussed today. In the field of education, there is already close cooperation between the relevant ministries, and our parliaments are committed to supporting and further strengthening this process. The discussion also touched on agriculture. In this regard, it is important for Georgia to further increase wine exports to the Chinese market. We also discussed matters of cooperation and mutual support on international platforms. Naturally, we spoke about the importance of international law and order,” noted Papuashvili.

According to the Speaker of Parliament, Georgia and China stand united on the fundamental principle that peaceful development is the cornerstone of a rules-based international order, which, regrettably, faces serious challenges today.

“In this regard, China, as a global player, has a particular role to play; in these turbulent times, when we are witnessing the collapse of the rules-based international order, to bring international relations back within the framework of international law. Regrettably, many countries today cannot be distinguished by the firmness, directness and unwavering consistency with which they uphold international law, as the People’s Republic of China does. In this respect, our approaches to questions of international law and peaceful development are in complete alignment,” declared Papuashvili.

Papuashvili also expressed hope that his Chinese counterpart, Zhao Leji, would visit Georgia in the near future.

“I hope we shall be able to bring about this visit before long. We also had the opportunity to talk about the significance of building personal relationships between parliamentarians beyond the formal discussions. We invited delegations to Georgia, and most importantly, I extended an invitation to the Chairman himself. His initial reaction gives me cause to hope that this visit will materialise soon. He has a great interest in Georgia and in Georgian culture. We are two ancient civilisations, and in that regard, I think this mutual interest is entirely natural,” declared Shalva Papuashvili.

For reference, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, is on an official visit to the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by a delegation comprising: First Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament and Head of the Georgia-China Parliamentary Friendship Group Giorgi Volski; Deputy Speaker of Parliament Nino Tsilosani; Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sozar Subari; Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Nikoloz Samkharadze; and Chairman of the Agriculture Committee Gela Samkharauli.