Ex-foreign diplomats: Georgian gov’t must take 1st step by releasing opposition leader Melia
Opposition leader Nika Melia has refused to pay 40,000 GEL of his 70,000 GEL bail. Photo: UNM press office.
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Twenty-three former diplomats, ambassadors and representatives of various international organisations have released an open letter in which they said that the Georgian Dream government ‘must take the first step’ to solve the current tension in the country and this step should be the release of the new head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia.
The government, as the presiding power, must take the first step by freeing the opposition leader. This will facilitate efforts by the European Union to mediate a compromise, efforts we strongly support. Recent events make the situation all the more urgent. Failure to take positive steps could result in calls for consequences for those responsible for the ongoing crisis. Time is of the essence! “ the letter says.
Five of eight Georgian opposition parties which have won seats in the 10th convocation of the Georgian parliament have been demanding repeat elections since the October 31, 2020 race.
They have accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of falsifying the elections, refused to take up their mandates and took to the street in November 2020.
Foreign ambassadors have facilitated four rounds of talks since then between the ruling party and the opposition to help the parties end the tension. However, the talks ended without the result.
Opposition parties have held a rally at parliament, demanding Melia's release.' Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Opposition rallies resumed at the end of the last month, amid the coronavirus pandemic, after the arrest of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party head Nika Melia on February 23 for his refusal to pay bail.
Melia is charged with incitement to violence during the June protests in Tbilisi back in 2019.
Opposition parties are now demanding the release of Melia and the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua and the repeat elections.
The dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition resumed during the recent visit of the European Council President Charles Michel to Georgia on March 1.
Michel has mandated Christian Danielsson to lead a EU-backed mediation effort in Georgia.
Danielsson will come to Georgia in the coming days.
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan, who was facilitating the election talks between the parties along with the EU ambassador, met with Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili earlier today.
Discussed a wide range of topics US Amb Kelly C. Degnan including the ???????????????? bilateral cooperation agenda, ongoing political processes, COVID-19 pandemic & the difficult situation in the occupied territories. We highly appreciate the support of ???????? our top strategic partner. pic.twitter.com/pR3KjZEQv1
— Irakli Garibashvili (@GharibashviliGe) March 9, 2021
She stated that the US is interested in the quick resolution of the tension for Georgia to focus on ‘other, serious challenges.’
Degnan said that the US will continue to support Georgia, its economy and security.
Garibashvili and the Georgian Dream stated earlier that Melia violated the law and that everyone is equal before the law.
The ruling party says that repeat elections will not take place because the elections ‘were held in the full line with democratic standards and that the international community has recognised the results of the elections.’
They repeated that if the opposition presents evidence that even one per cent of votes were fabricated, the ruling party will accept the conduct of repeat elections.
European Council President Charles Michel has mandated Christian Danielsson to lead a EU-backed mediation effort in Georgia, in follow up to the relaunch of the political dialogue between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition. The appointment comes shortly after Michel’s visit to Georgia earlier this month.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that the opposition parties have continued ‘destructive actions and tried to block the functioning of the state legislature’ shortly after the meeting with the European Council president Charles Michel yesterday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and opposition politicians have gathered at the presidential palace in Tbilisi at a meeting mediated by European Council President Charles Michel. Michel said following the meeting that the parties had an opportunity to listen to each other. However, he said, ‘we understand that there are many difficult topics that need to be tackled’.
Georgian opposition parties have requested mediation instead of facilitation from the EU to come to an agreement with the ruling Georgian party amid the current political tension.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has launched preparations for municipal elections which will take place in the autumn of this year, party officials have stated today, after a meeting at the party headquarters in central Tbilisi.
The EU has urged for a ‘wide consensus’ and a dialogue between the Georgian Dream ruling party and the opposition to solve the current tension ahead of the 6th meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council in Brussels on March 16, RFE/RL has cited the EU’s draft as saying for the meeting. Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili is scheduled to participate in the meeting. The document also urges Georgian political parties to refrain from sharp rhetoric.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has welcomed an upcoming visit of the EU mediator in the talks with the opposition to calm the current political tension in the country.
The EU mediator in the talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition amid the current political tension in the country, Christian Danielsson, has arrived in Georgia earlier today. He is now meeting with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili in capital Tbilisi. Before the meeting Danielsson told journalists that he will have a ‘busy three days’ with Georgian political parties.
The EU mediator in the talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition amid the current political tension, Christian Danielsson, has stated that the parties should themselves find a solution to the situation with the help of mediation. He stated that Georgia ‘is a valuable partner’ for the EU and that the EU is concerned by the ‘current political deadlock’ in the country.