Ms Sofia Katsarava:

I will start by answering some of the questions of colleagues who could not wait because of time constraints. I understand that. I was asked about Russia, Georgia and the impact of recent events in Britain. We have not had diplomatic relations with Russia since 2008. What I forgot to mention and which is very important is that, following the tragic deaths of our citizen, the Georgian Parliament adopted a bipartisan resolution on the part of the ruling party and the opposition. This is an issue where we all unite. Not only this, we are united on our foreign policy aspirations, which is extremely important. The resolution condemned the grave human rights situation in the occupied regions. What we have seen in the recent developments in Britain is that the Georgia issue has been raised in international fora. All of our partners have been vocal on the occupation in Georgia by Russia. This is very important and it might be a plea. Despite the fact that we are a forward-looking nation, progressing in the right direction and consolidating democracy, we must not undermine at all the issue of what is happening in the occupied territory. We would like all of our partners to be aware that the conflict is there and that we will need their support to ensure Russia meets its obligations so that those who live on the ground in the occupied territories have even slightly better conditions when it comes to human rights. This is extremely important for us.

It was rightly said by members that our country is developing in the right way. I really liked the comment that we are like-minded people with shared values, which include a belief in democracy. We cherish that and will continue on the path to develop the country in the way that our people deserve. When we talk about EU and NATO integration, we should be aware that it is not the choice of any political party. Rather, it has been the choice of the Georgian people since independence. Over 70% of the Georgian population supports Georgia's EU and NATO integration. As I said in my opening statement, this is also reflected in the new constitution for Georgia. It is a matter of security, stability and developing the country in a way that makes it fully democratic. We are in the process of consolidating democracy with the support of the committee here.

I thank the committee again for providing us with this unique opportunity to speak here. It is a very good illustration of our strong bilateral ties at committee levels and of interparliamentary co-operation. This is a very good example of how both countries should be contributing to the achievement of more practical co-operation between Ireland and Georgia. We have had very good and successful political co-operation, which will, of course, deepen further, through the recently established friendship group and our committees. I thank the committee for the opportunity it has given us to visit this beautiful country and discuss the areas we can work on that will bring tangible results to both our countries.

I look forward to the committee's visit to Georgia this year, particularly the members who have not visited our country. Of course, the members who have visited our country are more than welcome. We will do our best with the support of the Georgian Embassy here to deepen our very successful ties.