Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The delegates are extremely welcome to this parliament. It is good to see them in Ireland. We acknowledge the reception and hospitality we received in Georgia. I welcome the launch yesterday evening of the Ireland-Georgia Friendship Group under the chairmanship of Deputy Noel Grealish who I know will work hard in seeking to deepen bilateral relations, particularly trade relations, between our two countries.

When we were in Georgia, the deep commitment to membership of the European Union and the work Georgia had done at that stage were very obvious to us. Ms Katsarava might update us on the work being done and the timeframe she envisages for its completion.

At a meeting we attended recently the Chairman and I discussed this issue with our ambassador to Bulgaria, Mr. Michael Forbes. I know that it is difficult to travel and that it would make much more sense to have an embassy in Tbilisi, but I do not believe it will happen in the near future. Therefore, it would be good if it was possible for our ambassador to Bulgaria to visit Georgia more often.

On the issue of security, we saw for ourselves the difficulties and challenges posed, but as somebody who is committed to Ireland's neutrality and concerned about what we see as its encroachment, I ask about Georgia's anxiety to join NATO. I would prefer if we were all moving away from the militarisation of Europe and the increasing fears about security, even though I understand Georgia's position because we saw for ourselves the importance of the European Union's presence in the country.

The other question I wish to ask is about the international discussions in Geneva. The issue has been ongoing for ten years and it is incredible that Georgia is not seeing tangible results. What is needed to give the discussions the kick they need to get back on track?