German Ambassador to Georgia: Rurua is not mentioned in 8 March agreement
"Rurua is not mentioned in the 8 March agreement. This is very clear and everyone can read this [in the agreement],” said Knirsch. Photo: 1tv.ge.
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The co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua is not mentioned in the 8 March agreement, says German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch expressing surprise that this is a subject of discussion between the political parties.
Rurua is not mentioned in the 8 March agreement. This is very clear and everyone can read this [in the agreement],” said Knirsch.
I hope that representatives of all the political forces that were part of the March 8 agreement will take part in the voting in parliament and support the constitutional changes, on which the agreement was reached on March 8,” said Knirsch.
The opposition says Rurua’s continued incarceration is a threat to the election agreement, and claims the ruling party ‘accepted the release’ of Rurua, together with opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili in the March 8 agreement. However, the ruling party says this is a lie.
The opposition says that if Rurua remains in prison, they will not vote for the constitutional changes for the 2020 parliamentary elections per the March 8 agreement.
Foreign diplomats facilitated political dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties to reach the agreement.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the united opposition have reached an agreement on holding the upcoming parliamentary elections this October with 120 seats in the legislative body to be distributed via a proportional vote and the remaining 30 via the majoritarian system.
The Georgian parliament has passed the election bill in its second reading earlier today, with 115 MPs in the 150-member parliament voting in favour. The United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition parties, who support the amendments, refused to participate in the vote as they demand the release of co-founder of opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua.
The European People’s Party (EPP) is concerned that the co-founder of Georgian opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua remains in prison, the president of the party and former head of the European Council Donald Tusk said.
Tbilisi City Court has once again refused bail for the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua, who has been charged with the illegal possession of firearms.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has released a statement earlier today, saying that Georgia’s ‘radical opposition’ chooses ‘anti-western’ statements and campaigns, while the choice of the Georgian people is 'to further consolidate Georgian democracy and to ensure the full realisation of Georgia's Western aspirations'.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said Germany is a friend and a strong supporter of Georgia, whose role in Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration is of the ‘utmost importance’. “Everyone should understand that in Georgia [foreign] ambassadors represent their governments and any attack against them insults their respective countries”, he said.
The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia has issued a statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in which it 'condemns the attacks of certain political actors and media outlets' against the Ambassador of Germany Hubert Knirsch.
German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch, who was one of the facilitators in the ruling Georgian Dream party and the united opposition’s election talks, says that he is surprised by critical comments made against him which came after his statement regarding the imprisoned co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua and the election agreement.
The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has welcomed amendments to the Georgian election code, which were passed in their third and final reading yesterday.
The co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua was found guilty for the illegal possession and carrying of firearms and has been sentenced to four years in prison by Tbilisi City Court earlier today.