Georgian Parliament official says stable relations with Georgia should be in EU’s interest

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, said on Thursday that the European Union currently needed Georgia more than Georgia needed the EU.

Gorduladze made the comment in response to a journalist’s question about whether Georgia’s absence from the EU Enlargement Forum undermined the country’s European prospects.

In an interview with Imedi TV, Gorduladze said that if the EU were capable of making pragmatic decisions and the forces influencing its policies allowed it to do so, maintaining stable relations with Georgia should be in the bloc’s interest.

“Representatives of an unelected bureaucracy are holding a meeting to discuss various issues, including the Middle Corridor. It is a gathering of countries with access to the Black Sea, and Georgia’s exclusion reflects the same attitude in this instance as well”, the official claimed.

“We are not asking anyone for anything. We are neither kneeling nor holding out our hands, nor are we seeking handouts. On the contrary, we engage with everyone as equals. We are in no way inferior to any other country, despite having a relatively small economy and population. Let me state clearly, for everyone to hear, including foreign observers, that in this particular instance, the European Union needs Georgia even more than Georgia needs the European Union. If they are capable of making pragmatic decisions, and if the forces behind them allow it, maintaining stable relations with Georgia should be in their best interest. Otherwise, we need only look at the political situation and economic challenges facing a number of EU countries”, he concluded.