Georgian Parliament delegation discusses EU integration path with Serbian parliamentarians

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday held a detailed discussion with the Vice-Speaker of the Serbian Parliament and members of the European Integration Committee of the Serbian Parliament regarding Serbia's progress on its path towards European integration.

In his remarks, Samkharadze emphasised that Serbia had already opened accession talks and was actively progressing through several clusters.

“We concluded our meeting with the Vice Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, the Chair of the European Integration Committee, and its members, where we had a very detailed discussion about Serbia’s European integration process. As you know, Serbia has already opened accession talks and is actively negotiating on several clusters. They provided us with information on the steps they have taken, including their positive experiences, as well as the difficulties they face on this path. It was a very interesting meeting”, the Parliament official said.

“One particularly noteworthy aspect was how much our European integration processes resemble each other. For example, it was fascinating to hear that Serbia received entirely different recommendations regarding judicial reform than Georgia did, specifically concerning the appointment of judges. [...] Serbian representatives told us that one of their biggest challenges is Chapter 35, which requires Serbia to normalise relations with Kosovo. A demand they find fundamentally unacceptable, as Serbia considers Kosovo part of its territory”, Samkharadze continued.

The official highlighted a meeting with the Vice Speaker of the Serbian Parliament and members of the European Integration Committee, exchanging insights on EU accession, including judicial reforms, territorial integrity, and external pressures regarding sanctions on Russia.

“[...] Like Georgia, Serbia has faced frequent criticism for not imposing economic sanctions on Russia. So, we are facing a similar situation”, he said.

Samkharadze also mentioned that he had invited the Serbian delegation to visit Georgia.