PM Garibashvili addresses Parliament about revised Cabinet

 A day before lawmakers discuss the country’s seven newly appointed Ministers, Georgia’s Prime Minister addressed Parliament’s opposition members and said the new Cabinet would adequately fulfil their duties and meet all challenges.

Seven new Ministers were appointed this week following a major Governmental shake-up, where five previous Ministers were dismissed and two were moved into other duties.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s remarks were followed by debates and a lengthy question and answer session within the Parliamentary minority group, formed by members of former ruling party United National Movement (UNM).   

"Right now when all our efforts are put into ensuring the country's Europeanisation becomes an irreversible process, I, as the Prime Minister, feel a particular responsibility. Fundamentally it is important that in this process we do not relax and firmly work to smoothly carry out all the reforms that are planned to aid development of democracy in our country,” Garibashvili said.

He believed Georgia’s new Cabinet was a "quite natural, renewed Governmental team”.

"While selecting the new ministers I took the new reality into consideration and chose such candidates, who I am confident, will meet all the requirements which accompany the new challenges and will successfully lead their field,” Garibashvili said.   

In his speech the Prime Minister focused on main issues of the Government’s upcoming program.

"In the program we have thoroughly outlined every basic direction of Government policy. This is a document that clearly shows how we are planning to implement the policy which our people and our country needs [as we go along] this new, important stage of development,” Garibashvili said.

He believed by signing the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union (EU), Georgia had entered a new stage.

"This will be a very time consuming period which demands 24-hour work from each of us so that we are ready and prepared for every challenge,” the Prime Minister said.   

The leader’s meeting with the Parliamentary minority group was followed by a meeting with Members of Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream coalition.