Georgian Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili said he had a “fruitful meeting” with his Hungarian colleague László Kövér.

During a joint press point with Kövér, the Speaker said, “Further cooperation and mutual support among friendly nations such as Georgia and Hungary gains even more importance in the current complex environment.”

“I am pleased to visit Hungary along with Georgian parliamentary delegation. This is the first official visit of the XI convocation of the Parliament of Georgia and it is noteworthy that it takes place in the country most distinguished with steadfast support towards Georgia.

We held a fruitful meeting with my colleague László Kövér. Mr. Speaker payed a visit to Georgia back in 2023 and I am glad that today we have paid a reciprocal visit that shows how our parliamentary ties have been developing.

I very much value the opportunity to visit Hungary in these geopolitically turbulent times, when the world witnesses various political and security challenges. Further cooperation and mutual support among friendly nations such as Georgia and Hungary gains even more importance in the current complex environment.

During the meeting, I expressed our deep gratitude towards Hungary for firm and irreversible support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as for Georgia’s European future.

Friendship between our countries took origin centuries ago and is based on common European values emanating from our strong Christian heritage. In recent years, we have made significant strides in our bilateral relations, elevating our ties to the Strategic Partnership that delivers positive results to both countries and peoples.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the first leader to visit Georgia in October 2024 right after parliamentary elections in Georgia. This is yet another vivid demonstration of our strong friendship and mutual support.

Exchanges at the governmental level are frequent. During the meeting, I and my colleague agreed on consolidating our engagement in the parliamentary domain as well. Today we signed a Partnership Framework Agreement between our two legislative bodies. I believe, this Agreement will create a solid basis for even stronger inter-parliamentary dialogue and experience-sharing between our countries. We fully support further exchanges among administrations, sectoral committees and friendship groups.

We have also agreed to cooperate in the framework of various European political platforms.

During the meeting, I also talked about Georgia’s plans on the EU membership path and highlighted Georgia’s commitment to implement 90% of Association Agreement by 2028. This far-reaching agreement is a key blueprint for us to continue legal and institutional approximation with the European Union. We are grateful for Hungary’s readiness to help us in this process. Your experience is very useful for us.

We are grateful for a warm welcome here in the National Assembly and also highly appreciate each step and statement of the Hungarian side in support of Georgia. We stand ready to deepen our strategic partnership in the coming years,” the Speaker stated.