Georgian PM welcomes visit of EU mediator in talks with opposition: we’re ready for constructive dialogue
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has thanked the EU for its engagement in the talks between Georgian political parties. Photo: Irakli Garibashvili’s Twitter page.
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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 European Council President Charles Michel has mandated Christian Danielsson to lead a EU-backed mediation effort in Georgia to help the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition come to an agreement on the issue of repeat parliamentary elections and the release of the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia.
Garibashvili has stated that the Georgian government appreciates the EU’s engagement in the process and that the ruling party is ready to continue a ‘constructive dialogue.’
We are sure that the EU mediator’s participation in the process will help the conduct of a constructive dialogue. I want to say one more time that the ruling party is ready to continue a constructive dialogue and we fully share the recommendation and advice of the European Council that the parties should come to an agreement in the fastest manner,” Garibashvili said.
He stated that coming to an agreement is important for the normal functioning of the state legislature and for a normal political situation in the country.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has tweeted:
I welcome the appointment of @DanielssonEU to mediate talks between the gov and the opposition. This is a strong sign that Europe continues to work for stability and democratic development in ????????. I once again call on both sides to put country first and work toward depolarization.
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) March 10, 2021
We should all act in line with state interests,” Garibashvili said.
The 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 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 has announced the resumption of rallies if no agreement is reached with the ruling party. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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 Danielsson to lead a EU-backed mediation effort in Georgia.
The opposition has announced the launch of a ‘large-scale disobedience campaign and rallies’ if no agreement on repeat parliamentary elections and the release of opposition leader Melia is made with the ruling party by the end of March.
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 parliamentary elections.