Georgian parliamentary delegation, led by Nikoloz Samkharadze, held meetings with the Speaker of the Upper House of the South African Parliament Na Masondo, the leadership of the Foreign Relations Committee and the ruling faction in the Parliament.

The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral parliamentary relations, deepening the existing cooperation between the countries, including such areas as trade, tourism, reforms, agriculture, sports and education.

At the meeting with the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samkharadze introduced the main foreign policy priorities of Georgia to his South African colleagues and talked about the challenges in the region, including the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, the difficult situation in the occupied territories of Georgia, peaceful ways to resolve the conflict, the importance of non-recognition policy and the security of the Black Sea.

The South African side confirmed its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Within the framework of the visit, the Georgian parliamentary delegation met with the Speaker of the National Council of Provinces of the South African Parliament, Na Masondo, and the leadership of the ruling faction, where special attention was paid to strengthening parliamentary cooperation, including in the direction of parliamentary control.

The South African legislators were interested in the steps taken by the Parliament of Georgia to strengthen the supervisory functions and in general, the reforms implemented in the country, on which Nikoloz Samkharadze and other members of the delegation provided comprehensive information.

South African legislators have expressed their desire to visit Georgia in order to learn about the reforms implemented in the country in the areas of fighting corruption, reducing poverty, managing the border and developing state services.

“This visit has a special significance, because it is the first precedent when the delegation of the Parliament of Georgia visits the Republic of South Africa, which is the leading state on the continent. We had interesting meetings with South African legislators where we discussed various ways to strengthen our ties. Many areas where it is possible to strengthen cooperation and obtain mutually beneficial results have been identified. The South African side is particularly interested in the reforms implemented in Georgia, and in the future we plan to host them in Tbilisi and share our experience. We also received a confirmation that South Africa will be loyal to the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia”, said Nikoloz Samkharadze.

The Georgian parliamentary delegation led by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samkharadze, is in Cape Town, the parliamentary capital of South Africa.

The delegation includes Davit Kacharava, deputy chairman of the Sports and Youth Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Aleksandre Rakviashvili, a member of the “Girchi” political group, and Beka Dvali, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the Republic of South Africa.

source: 1TV