Georgia to Chair Council of Europe

Georgia is set to become the Chair of the Council of Europe (CoE) in November for a six-month term, holding that status until May 2020.  

The chairmanship will be granted to Georgia after France under the rotation principle of the Council of Europe at the official meeting in Strasbourg in November, which will be attended by the representatives of the 47 member countries of the CoE.

Tamar Chugoshvili, the Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia has focused on the importance of obtaining chairmanship of the CoE: “We expect a more active year. This chance [of chairmanship] should be used for the interests of our country,” Chugoshvili said.

The government official also accentuated the issue of the territorial integrity of Georgia and stated that the country needs more support from the European states.

“The number one problem for Georgia is the territorial integrity and protection of human rights of our citizens residing on the occupied territories. However, the negative issues will not represent our major priority. We want Europe to discover the reforms and achievements the country has made in order to gain support from European Countries,” Chugoshvili said.

She also announced the upcoming visit of high-level officials from the CoE to Georgia and the travel of Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze to Strasbourg on April 10, where he will participate in the PACE Spring Session.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya

Image source: Council of Europe