The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, presented the 2025 report of the Georgian Parliament’s standing delegation to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly at a meeting of the Foreign Relations Committee.

As Shalva Papuashvili noted, following years of dedicated effort, the AIPA granted observer status to the Georgian Parliament in 2023. The Parliament’s standing delegation has been actively involved in the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly’s proceedings since then.

“During the reporting period, the Georgian Parliament’s standing delegation participated in the 46th General Assembly session and in the annual meeting of the Assembly’s Ad Hoc Working Group.

The 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) took place from September 16 to 22, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Georgian Parliament standing delegation member Nikoloz Samkharadze participated in its work. Around 400 delegates from member, observer and guest countries took part in the event.

Nikoloz Samkharadze addressed the assembled delegates at the plenary session, speaking about the prospects and importance of strengthening cooperation between Georgia and Southeast Asian countries. In his address, he drew attention to the grave situation in Georgia’s regions occupied by Russia, the violation of Georgians’ rights, the abduction of citizens on the occupation line, and the expulsion of Georgians from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.

During the session, a hearing on Georgia was held, where Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Nikoloz Samkharadze discussed Georgia’s foreign policy priorities and national trends. He reviewed the country’s economic, political, and social situation, highlighting the successful reforms carried out across various sectors.

Delegations from ASEAN Parliamentary Assembly member countries expressed firm support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and voiced their desire to strengthen cooperation with Georgia in various directions.

Parallel to the General Assembly proceedings, Nikoloz Samkharadze held bilateral meetings with the Vice-Speaker of the Malaysian Senate and the Chairman of the Malaysian House of Representatives’ Foreign Relations and Trade Committee.

The annual meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Ad Hoc Working Group took place from July 14 to 17, 2025, in Phnom Penh, the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, focusing on peace and security issues. Nikoloz Samkharadze attended the event, highlighting the serious situation in Georgia’s occupied regions and expressing gratitude to the member countries of the Assembly for their steadfast support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

A member of the delegation spoke about global security challenges, Russia’s occupation, and ongoing developments in the Black Sea region, stressing the importance of adhering to international law principles to foster peace. Nikoloz Samkharadze affirmed Georgia’s readiness to contribute to the realisation of peace initiatives. Nikoloz Samkharadze confirmed Georgia’s readiness to contribute to the implementation of peace initiatives.

Within the framework of the session, Nikoloz Samkharadze held a meeting with the Chairman of the Cambodian Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, who is currently the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA),” states information released by the Georgian Parliament.

According to Shalva Papuashvili, “For Georgia, as an observer country, AIPA remains an important platform for parliamentary diplomacy, which allows us to establish direct contact with Southeast Asian countries, better acquaint ourselves with this region’s priorities and challenges, strengthen Georgia’s non-recognition policy, and define directions of cooperation.”

“In the modern world, where international relations are quite tense and complex, this format represents a good platform for dialogue and cooperation,” the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stated.

The Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee took note of the presented report.