“The path that we have chosen, European and Euro Atlantic integration, and our statement that we will be ready to apply for EU membership in 2024 needs more hard work, more reforms,” said Kakha Kuchava, Georgian Parliament Speaker in an interview with EURACTIV.

According to Kuchava, during his working visit to Brussels, he met with President of the European Parliament and different political groups. He talked about the latest developments since the mediation by European Council President Charles Michel in resolving Georgian political crisis.

“Considering Georgia’s commitment to build a European-type parliamentary republic, we needed a consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. So the involvement of Charles Michel and the agreement that was signed by the ruling party and most of the opposition – just two of them refused to do so – should serve as an opportunity for the country to move forward on a faster track.

What we don’t want to see in the future is boycotting parliamentary work. Fortunately we see now a majority of the opposition parties being in parliament. UNM still refuses to do so, although there are signs that they will enter parliament, and I have a big hope that we will have a normal parliamentary life, and express their concerns and criticism from the parliament tribune, from the sessions from the committee work, and not from the streets, as they continue until nowadays,” Kuchava claimed.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Kakha Kuchava paid his first working visit to Brussels, Belgium, on May 19.