NATO’s Appathurai says dialogue important ‘to move beyond current impasse’ in Georgia
James Appathurai commented on recent developments in Georgia on his official Facebook page yesterday. Photo: Shot from a video by President of Georgia's press office/Archive
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NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said it is important that there be dialogue "to move beyond the current impasse”.
Appathurai referred to the recent developments in Georgia following the parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024.
Appathurai said NATO and he, himself, are “watching events in Georgia closely and with concern”. However, he felt “encouraged” by reports of an upcoming meeting between the government and the opposition over the issue.
Georgia has a strong and vibrant democracy, and that should be demonstrated again in finding a consensual way forward”, Appathurai wrote on his official Facebook page yesterday.
Appathurai’s comment followed the reports on that the diplomatic corps in Georgia had offered to orchestrate a meeting between the ruling party and the opposition, amid the current political tenison.
The meeting, which comes amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the election reform bill on November 14, will discuss the German electoral model for 2020 elections among other issues today.