Georgian president calls yesterday’s disrupted parliamentary session ‘damaging, unacceptable’ amid upcoming int’l conference
The European Council President Charles Michel has met with President Zurabishvili earlier today. Photo: Salome Zurabishvili/Twitter.
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called yesterday’s disrupted parliamentary session ‘damaging and unacceptable’ amid the upcoming 17th International Conference - Georgia’s European Way, which is taking place in Batumi today.
Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri was to deliver an address at yesterday's extraordinary session regarding the events of July 5 and the measures taken by the police.
Gomelauri was interrupted by opposition MPs from the beginning of his speech and was not allowed to continue.
[Today] is the most important day for Georgia, for its European path, for joining the European Union and for the further development of the country...Ahead of this important day, the events in the Parliament of Georgia are damaging to the country and generally unacceptable. In any case, human rights violations are unjustified, and even more so in parliament, which establishes the legal basis for the protection of human rights and which should be an example for the public,” President Zurabishvili stated.
Georgian President Zurabishvili also made a statement regarding the decision of the ruling party to cut off communication with several critical TV channels, which ‘crossed red lines’ and got involved in a ‘political campaign,’ as the government administration stated earlier.
As for the severance of working relations with the media, despite any critical position, we all agree that freedom of speech and expression should be protected in the country and the media should be allowed to work without restrictions,” said President Zurabishvili.
European Council President Charles Michel will attend the Batumi international conference with the presidents of Ukraine and Moldova, Volodymyr Zelensky and Maia Sandu.
In parallel with Charles Michel's arrival yesterday, a rally of Georgian media representatives was held at the airport in Batumi, where journalists held up the photos of the late TV Pirveli cameraman, Lekso Lashkarava.
The European Council President Charles Michel has met with President Zurabishvili earlier today.
Georgian President Zurabishvili has tweeted:
Today is a very important day for Georgia’s European future. Thank you to @eucopresident for taking part in this.
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) July 19, 2021
More EU in Georgia is a strong message for our progress and our development, a message that remains unchanged despite all challenges. pic.twitter.com/FMnDJNrFEs
Leaders of Ukraine and Moldova will sign a joint declaration on European integration with Georgia today.
The main topic of the conference is enhanced cooperation between the three associated partners of the European Union - Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.
The countries recently launched the format of the associated trio, to foster cooperation with the EU.
Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan foreign ministers have sent a joint letter to EU officials in which they requested deeper cooperation between their countries and the EU.
Journalists have gathered in Batumi holding banners ‘media under attack’ as the plane of European Council President Charles Michel has landed in the Black Sea town.
Georgian and Swiss presidents Salome Zurabishvili and Guy Parmelin have pledged to deepen their two countries’ ties in a phone conversation.
Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri’s parliamentary address on the violence of July 5-6 in Tbilisi has been postponed due to an opposition protest.
“We are a sovereign and independent state. We are doing everything, and we are a distinguished star among the EU Eastern Partnership states, with our reforms, achievements”, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has told journalists today. In his comments he has assessed recent political developments in Georgia, country's EU aspirations, media freedom in Georgia, relations with US and recent appointment of Supreme Court judges.
President of the European Council Charles Michel and the presidents Moldova and Ukraine Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Georgia to participate in the Batumi International Conference beginning on Monday, July 19.
“The Associated Trio will work together on common interests for European integration, including the implementation of Association Agreements with the EU and the further development of the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative. Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova will work together to strengthen political and economic dialogue and sectoral integration with the EU,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry has reported.
European Council President Charles Michel has stated that judicial reform is the condition for the disbursement of EU macro-financial assistance to Georgia, following l meetings with Georgian officials and parliamentary opposition parties amid the 17th International Conference - Georgia’s European Way.
Georgia is at a crossroads with the challenge of the latest wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and continued political polarisation ahead of municipal elections in October, President Salome Zurabishvili said in an address she released on Tuesday.