President Zurabishvili to host ruling party, opposition leaders at New Year reception today

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili will hold a New Year reception today where she will host leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and opposition at the Orbeliani Presidential Palace. 

The head of the largest opposition party, United National Movement's Nika Melia, and Droa movement leader Elene Khoshtaria refused to attend the event ‘due to the format of the meeting.’

• President Zurabishvili at Summit for Democracy: polarisation, hate speech undermine democratic processes in Georgia

Melia thanked Zurabishvili for the invitation, saying however that he cannot participate in the ‘classic New Year ceremony,’ noting that the UNM will take part in other meetings announced by the president. 

Khoshtaria said that due to the current situation in the country they are not able to ‘sip champagne’ with the representatives of the GD. 

It is pragmatically wrong to think of the process of overcoming polarisation in this form. I do not want this to be perceived as a rejection of the process itself. On the contrary, I am very much looking forward to the President's views regarding the process,” Khoshtaria said.

GD MP Shalva Papuashvili critisised the UNM for its refusal to join the event, noting that it ‘reaffirmed that the UNM does not respect state institutions and is focused on destruction.’

He also announced that GD chairman Irakli Kobakhidze will attend the event.

The event will take place on December 16 at 7:00 pm at the Orbeliani Presidential Palace. Photo: Salome Zurabishvili/Facebook. 

Leaders of the Lelo for Georgia party Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze will also not participate in the meeting, as they are attending their trial hearing in Tbilisi City Court today in a money laundering case. 

However, other members of the party - Pikria Chikhradze, Ana Natsvlishvili and Salome Samadashvili from Lelo faction - will take part in the meeting, local media outlet Netgazeti reports.

The Georgian president has the constitutional leverage to facilitate depolarisation in the country. On the other hand, it is clear that entering into this process with preconditions will not have any result. Let's see how the process develops,” Samadashvili said.

• President briefs patriarch on her views how to decrease political polarization

Members of the opposition Strategy Aghmashenebeli and Citizens parties will also participate in the meeting. 

Zurabishvili initiated an ‘inclusive process and a national conversation involving all of society’ in order to ‘achieve a shared understanding of recent history, to help heal divisions and move forward’ on December 10 at the Summit for Democracy organised by US President Joe Biden.