On Tuesday, 14 February, Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee, during a meeting at the Saeima with Victor Dolidze, State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, congratulated Georgia on the European Parliament's support for the introduction of the visa-free regime and stressed that it is a tangible result of the reform process.

The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee expressed strong support for Georgia's territorial integrity. Kalniņš condemned the Russian-backed "referendum" in South Ossetian on a name change to be held in the spring.

Dolidze thanked the Saeima for its continued support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration, including at the international level. He stressed that this aspiration is supported by 70% of the population, and also said that Georgia actively informs the public on the cooperation with the European Union, NATO and the planned visa-free travel with the Schengen countries. The Minister also attested that Georgia is continuing to implement reforms, including in security and defence.

Kalniņs and Dolidze both agreed that the most important challenge is the fight against Russian propaganda targeting both Latvia and Georgia, and stressed that Europe should be united in this endeavour. They both emphasised the importance of strategic communication, and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee highlighted the work of the Riga-based NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in autumn in Brussels, as well as international developments.

Saeima Press Service