Opposition claims gov’t refused EU loan become of ‘upcoming sanctions’
The leader of the United National Movement opposition party Roman Gotsiridze says that the EU was likely not to issue the loan for Georgia. Photo: for.ge.
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The United National Movement (UNM) and the European Georgia opposition party leaders say that the Georgian government has refused to take the second part of the EU’s €75 million euro loan because the EU was likely to impose sanctions against Georgia for the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s withdrawal from the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement.
UNM member Roman Gotsiridze says that the government ‘was forced to make the statement before the EU announced the sanction itself.’
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated earlier today that the government refused to take the EU loan because of positive moves in the state economy and the wish to decrease the country’s foreign debt which currently exceeds 20 billion USD.
Lelo opposition party leader Mamuka Khazaradze stated that the government’s refusal to take the loan ‘was irresponsible’ amid the severe epidemiological situation in the country and ‘extreme poverty.’
Garibashvili and European Council President Charles Michel in Kyiv earlier this month. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
The EU-mediated agreement, which was signed by the ruling party and the majority of opposition parties back in April 2021, aimed to resolve a six-month political standoff in the country which began after the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Per the agreement the signatories took on responsibility to ensure large-scale electoral and judicial reforms in the country.
PM @GharibashviliGe's statement directly indicates that the @GeorgianDream41 is once again refuses to fulfill its commitments to the #EU, thus significantly undermines ????????'s democratic development and poses a threat to Euro-Atlantic integration.https://t.co/B02kHp3ff7
— Transparency Int'l GE (@Transparency_GE) August 31, 2021
The ruling party withdrew from the agreement in July 2021 ‘because of the refusal of the main opposition party, the UNM, to join the agreement and consistent violation of the agreement by other opposition parties.’
However, the GD vowed to implement all the reforms stipulated in the agreement.
The initiator of the agreement, European Council President Charles Michel, met with Georgian PM Garibashvili earlier this month, at which time he stated that the ‘deadline for the disbursement of macro financial assistance is looming and it is time for the Georgian government to demonstrate its commitment to the agreements and notably the reform agenda.’
Garibashvili responded that the Georgian government remained committed to the agreement and that a big portion of the reforms have already been carried out.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced that the government has decided not to take the second tranche of an EU loan as 'we are trying to reduce foreign debt'. In 2020 the EU disbursed a €60 million grant as part of its €75 million Covid-19 Resilience Contract for Georgia to assist in the implementation of the government’s Anti-Crisis Economic Plan.
European Council President Charles Michel has tweeted that the deadline for disbursement of macro financial assistance is looming and ‘it is time for the Georgian government to demonstrate its commitment to the agreements and notably the reform agenda.’ Michel’s tweet comes after yesterday’s meeting with Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili during the Crimea Platform forum in Kyiv.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has annulled its signatory status to the April 19 EU-mediated agreement which resolved a six-month political crisis in the country following the 2020 parliamentary elections and proposed large-scale electoral and judiciary reforms.Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze stated earlier today that the agreement initiated by the European Council President Charles Michel ‘had completed its mission’ and accused opposition parties of non-fulfilment of the agreement.
Opposition United National Movement (UNM) members will take up their parliamentary mandates after almost a six-month boycott, party chair Nika Melia has announced after the party’s political council meeting today.
The EU delegation to Georgia has responded to the Georgian government’s recent refusal to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan, stating that they ‘respect’ the decision, but noting that the country has been unable to completely fulfil preconditions that would have been needed to receive the second instalment.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has responded to recent statements of local and foreign politicians on the connection between EU financial aid and judicial reforms in the country. Garibashvili said that the Georgian Dream government has already carried out ‘fundamental reforms’ in the judiciary and remains committed to the tenets of the April 2021 EU-mediated agreement to proceed with court reforms.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated that taking the 75 million euro EU loan by the Georgian government would be unjustified when the state economy has increased by 12 per cent over the past six-seven months.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has stated it is unclear for her and the public why the Georgian Dream government has refused to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan which should have been addressed to decrease 'the social and human damage that COVID has done to our population'.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili ‘seems not to be well-informed’ about the EU loan and that is why she criticized the government yesterday for its refusal to take the second tranche of the EU’s 150 million euro loan.
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, MP Irakli Kobakhidze has reminded the parliamentary opposition that constitutional amendments related to electoral and other issues are a result of the party’s goodwill as the GD has withdrawn from the EU-mediated agreement.The agreement signed by the ruling party and the majority of opposition parties on April 19, 2021 obliged the signatories to carry out large-scale electoral and judiciary reforms.