NATO PA President Madeleine Moon visits occupation line in village Didi Khurvaleti
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, September 16
The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA), Madeleine Moon visited Georgia last week. During her stay in the country, she visited the occupation line in the village of Didi Khurvaleti and got acquainted with the situation at the site.
The trip to Didi Khurvaleti was part of a 2-day NATO parliamentary delegation visit to Georgia, during which President Moon and other members of the NATO PA had meetings with both the Georgian parliamentary majority and the opposition, as well as with the Minister of Defence and the President of Georgia. She also held a meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament, Archil Talakvadze.
As she noted with the reporters, NATO PA strives to provide the world with the information about the situation and on-going processes in the village.
"Our job is to observe the processes on the ground, ask questions and bring the voice of this person to our next meeting in London. I promise that we will not just write a report, but we will do our best to ensure a broader understanding of the situation here” noted Moon after meeting with Data Vanishvili, who lives beyond the occupation line in Didi Khurvaleti.
The meeting between Moon and the Speaker of the Parliament focused on the close and result-oriented relations between Georgia and NATO. The importance of high-level negotiations and joint occasions were emphasized.
Talakvadze and PA President focused on the partnership between the Parliament of Georgia and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the contribution that will make dynamic connections between the parliamentary dimensions in the process of Georgia's integration into NATO.
During the meeting, sides discussed progressing procedures and democratic reforms in Georgia, the situation in the occupied regions of the country and future threats. After the meeting, Talakvadze and Moon made joint statements to the press.
As Talakvadze noted, Georgia is and will continue to be one of the most reliable allies and partners of NATO and the Western family. “The parliamentary dimension that exists between the Parliament of Georgia and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is and will stay solid in the future. Georgia is strategically prepared to join NATO, and we are pleased that Georgian soldiers, alongside NATO troopers, defend freedom and the values that unite us in the most troublesome spots of the world,” noted Talakvadze.
PA President emphasized the importance of cooperation with Georgia. According to her, a visit to the country is a good opportunity to see the progress Georgia has made. “The most significant thing is that changes are occurring and we are persuaded that these progressions are going on in Georgia, we are persuaded that our ties remain solid,” noted Moon.
During Moon’s meeting the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, parties discussed the progress of Georgia-NATO relations, the meeting was held at the Presidential Palace.
The President of Georgia emphasized the importance of Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration and spoke about the support of the Georgian population in this process.
During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the occupied regions of Georgia. Moon shared her impressions and emotions regarding her visit to the occupation line in Khurvaleti to the President of Georgia. Zourabichvili also discussed internal political issues, new functions of the President and ongoing economic projects.
Moon was elected President of the NATO PA at the Assembly’s Annual Session in Halifax in November 2018. Prior to that, she has served on the Defence and Security Committee, she was also elected as rapporteur of the Sub-Committee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities to produce reports on NATO and the Future Role of Naval Power (2016), The Space Domain and Allied Defence (2017), and NATO Special Forces in the Modern Security Environment (2018).
