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Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s parliament speaker said Monday that the country’s main political priority is signing the Association Agreement with the EU and that all the other issues are subordinate to this priority.

Summing up the year 2013 at a press conference, Davit Usupashvili said the role of parliament is very important in the country’s foreign affairs.

“We have achieved the most of what we could on the international arena, and Georgia was given a green light on the way to EU integration at the Vilnius Summit,” he said.

The National Movement party has criticized the new government for having, as they see it, changed the country’s western course and even go so far as accusing the Georgian Dream government of having pro-Russian views and goals. The government has repeatedly denied that this is the case.

Last month, Georgia initialized an Association Agreement with the EU and later EU representatives stated that the treaty may be signed before August, 2014, which is earlier than previously planned.

Usupashvili said that the new government has managed to not worsen relations with Russia this year, but the relations haven’t improved either.


“Small achievements related to the restoration of trade relations is a correct approach, but it is not enough,” he said. “Problems continue at the separating line with the occupied territories and here we hope for the EU Monitoring Mission and other international organizations to not let local problems transform into global problems, and Georgia has managed to get through a difficult way in order to sign the Association Agreement in August-September.”

Usupashvili said that signing the Association Agreement is the main goal for the state, and the country will have to avoid many threats on the way to achieving this. As examples of the challenges ahead, he mentioned possible threats from Russia, leading domestic political processes correctly, conducting the upcoming local government election, the unity and stability of the Georgian Dream coalition, which is necessary to achieve this goal, and civilized relations between the legislative and the executive government.