Former ruling party MPs say “radical opposition” sees European Council’s conditions for Georgia’s EU membership as part of its “revolutionary plan”
They also claimed “no-one will grant Georgia the [European Union membership] candidate status at the end of the year”, but said the Government “must show” that European integration is a “solid priority” for it and “display efforts” to achieve the goal. Photo:Parliament of Georgia.
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The 12 conditions outlined by the European Council for granting Georgia the European Union membership candidate status later this year are seen as part of the “revolutionary plan” of the “radical opposition” in the country, three MPs who left the ruling party last week to publicise “behind-the-scenes developments” of the domestic political field said in a statement on Monday.
In their latest statement, Sozar Subari, Mikheil Kavelashvili and Dimitri Khundadze said the United National Movement opposition party and their partners had plans to “consistently try to use each point of the plan to prepare a revolutionary scenario by the end of December”.
They also claimed “no-one will grant Georgia the [European Union membership] candidate status at the end of the year”, but said the Government “must show” that European integration is a “solid priority” for it and “display efforts” to achieve the goal.
The MPs - who left the ruling party saying they had decided on an alternate public relations plan to inform the public on the opposition’s plans and activities - said they viewed the prospect of meeting the conditions of the European Council “with scepticism”, but added they still believed the Government should “do everything possible” to implement its strategy - presented on Friday - for meeting the conditions.
Sozar Subari, Mikheil Kavelashvili and Dimitri Khundadze, the three MPs who left the ranks of the ruling Georgian Dream party this week, on Thursday said the decision of the European Council not to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status outright contributed to an “opposite effect” of the objective of depolarisation of its domestic political environment, a qualification included in the body’s requirements to the country.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday announced the departure of three MPs from both the party and the parliament following their disagreement over public relations strategy with the rest of the faction.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said the Georgian Government was aiming not for the European Union membership candidate status, but to join the bloc.
Georgia has been waiting for an official recognition of its European perspective for many years, and the Government is pleased that this perspective has been officially recognised by the European Commission, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Friday.
Guram Macharashvili, a member of the Parliamentary majority, on Thursday said he was leaving the ruling Georgian Dream party and would join three MPs who exited the team last month following a disagreement over the public relations strategy with the rest of the faction.
MPs and members of city councils who have left the ruling Georgian Dream party over the past month following a disagreement over the public relations strategy with the rest of the team on Thursday declared the founding of a public movement.
Popular Force, a newly launched public movement composed of the former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Thursday released a statement saying the actions of Kelly Degnan, the United states Ambassador to Georgia, “reinforce people's belief that the radical agenda of the radical [domestic] opposition is coordinated by the United States Embassy”.
Gia Volski, a ruling party MP and the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday said the United States was the “strongest and the most efficient supporter” of Georgia, but added on its part, it also did not have “as loyal a partner and friend as Georgia” in the South Caucasus region.
Popular Force, a recently launched public movement composed of former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Tuesday released a statement claiming “disrespectful and crass attitude” towards Georgian state institution in a United Sates Embassy document on the country’s judicial reform.