President Zurabishvili: EU, US support during Georgian political crisis critical
Salome Zurabishvili released a statement in response to yesterday's Senate hearing on bolstering democracy in Georgia. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has stated earlier today that support from the European Union and the United States is of critical importance for Georgia to overcome its current political crisis.
Zurabishvili said in response to the recent Senate hearing on Georgia that the main message from the US is that it supports Georgia - as its partner - on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration.
The US and the EU need stable and even more democratic Georgia as a strong and reliable partner on the region full of challenges”, President Zurabishvili said.
Calling on all political parties in Georgia to put aside their ‘narrow political interests’ Salome Zurabishvili said the current crisis is only in the interests of hostile forces.
The country needs stability which can be achieved only by strengthening the state institutions and carrying out new democratic reforms”, she added.
The Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on bolstering democracy in Georgia yesterday.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen who chaired the hearing said she is ‘surprised and disappointed’ that all parties in Georgia ‘have allowed the current crisis to last so long’.
Senator Jim Risch has also noted at the hearing that in the past few years ‘the country suffer from democratic backsliding’.
He believes ‘responsibility for the current crisis facing Georgia, the culmination of several years of increased tensions and failed reforms, is shared by all sides’.
Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is ‘surprised and disappointed’ that all parties in Georgia ‘have allowed the current crisis to last so long’.
The EU mediator in the talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on the issues of repeat parliamentary elections and the release of opposition figures Christian Danielsson will travel back to Georgia by the end of the week to help the parties to come to an agreement on ‘two most challenging issues.’
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which observed Georgia’s parliamentary elections last year, said in its final report that ‘despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic’ the elections were ‘competitive and administered efficiently’.
US Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen are ‘deeply concerned’ by recent political developments in Georgia. Hoping ‘this political crisis will come to an end quickly and peacefully’, they said that ‘all sides of the political spectrum must now return to the negotiating table and de-escalate the political atmosphere’.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that the country’s opposition has two choices: ‘either listen to the EU and the US partners and take up their mandates in the state legislature, or continue their marginal actions.’
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has stated earlier today that the ruling Georgian Dream party is not considering holding repeat parliamentary elections or the release of opposition United National Movement chair Nika Melia during the upcoming EU-mediated negotiations.
The EU-mediation talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on the issues of repeat parliamentary elections and the release of opposition figures are likely to resume on Monday, IPN has cited the EU delegation to Georgia as saying. IPN has reported that the EU mediator in the talks Christian Danielsson will arrive in Georgia either on March 28 or 29.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has paid her first official visit to North Macedonia earlier today. Now Zurabishvili and North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski are holding a face-to-face meeting. The presidents are scheduled to sign a visa liberalisation agreement between the two countries and a memorandum of cooperation in culture following the meeting.