German Ambassador: all parties should unite to overcome polarisation, fulfil EU membership candidacy conditions

Hubert Knirsch, the German Ambassador to Georgia, on Sunday welcomed the Georgian Government’s initiation of work on a strategy to fulfil the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Council for granting the country the European Union membership candidate status, and said “all parties” should work in unison to overcome the polarised domestic political environment.

Knirsch told reporters “all political forces” in support of the country’s European integration should participate in fulfilling the conditions and added “no party should stand aside” as their cooperation and united effort would be important to “overcome negative characteristic” of the polarisation.

The Ambassador said related debates arranged at the Parliament, and public demonstrations held to express citizens’ opinion a “legitimate discussion”, and stressed the significance of avoiding a discourse that would cast opposing sides as “illegitimate or incapable of working in Georgian politics”.

The ruling Georgian Dream party last week presented its strategy for fulfilling the 12-point conditions outlined by the Council for granting the country the EU membership candidate status later this year.