The Delegation of the Foreign Relations Committee, headed by the Chair, Nikoloz Samkharadze serves the official visit to Paris.

Within the framework of the visit, the Delegation participated in the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum that is organized for the first time this year. N. Samkharadze, in the capacity of the rapporteur, participated in the panel “New Boundaries in Europe” and overviewed the developments in the region and lingering security challenges.

He accentuated the significant role of Georgia in the EU and NATO enlargement policy and in ensuring the security of Europe.

“Over 15 years ago, Georgia and Ukraine were pledged at the Bucharest Summit to become the NATO member states. Georgia spared no effort to fulfill the commitments envisaging NATO membership and today, Georgia is fully compatible with NATO membership standards. Still, our NATO membership depends on a political decision. Speaking about NATO enlargement, the Alliance members shall manifest higher vigor. We need the West to be a strong leader taking intact and valorous decisions”, - he stated.

The Paris Defense and Strategy Forum is for the first time hosted in Paris. It is attended by decision-makers from Europe, politicians and experts. The Forum is organized by the Parliament of France, the Defense Ministry of France and the Schuman Foundation.

“The Paris Defense and Strategy Forum is a high-level platform unifying the military and security experts and officials from European countries. Within the Forum, I participated in the panel “New Boundaries of Europe” dedicated to the EU enlargement policy and hence, the participation of the Georgian Parliamentary Delegation is paramount. I am delighted that the French organizers invited us as special rapporteurs to the Forum, giving a floor to share our visions with our international partners”, - said Nikoloz Samkharadze.