The Parliament of Georgia has joined the Belgrade Declaration. The document was adopted within the framework of the inaugural Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of the EU Candidate Countries held in Serbia. The declaration emphasizes the important role of parliaments in the European integration process.

Prior to the adoption of the document, Shalva Papuashvili met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Serbia, where the need for greater experience sharing and mutual support among EU candidate countries was noted.

According to the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, it is essential for [candidate] countries to support each other in the accession process.

"We are not equal when dealing with EU member states, each of which has a veto power that can block any progress; therefore, our unity and exchange of information are important.

For example, Serbia is currently awaiting a decision regarding the opening of the so-called third cluster in accession negotiations. There is a positive conclusion from the European Commission, the sixth in a row, and as reported and published in the media, the Netherlands is opposing the opening of this cluster, despite the fact that even the European Commission confirmed that Serbia deserves the opening of this part of the negotiations based on its reforms.

Also, there are some Baltic countries blocking it because Serbia has not imposed sanctions on Russia. This accession process is full of such instances, and it is important for us, candidate countries, to support each other", - said Shalva Papuashvili.