Parliament Speaker claims part of opposition “sabotaging” Georgia's European future
Papuashvili referred to the opposition parties of United National Movement, Lelo and Strategy Aghmashenebeli and said their refusal to take part in the work was not a boycott, but a “sabotage of the process”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said a part of the domestic opposition was “sabotaging” the process of Georgia fulfilling the 12-point conditions established by the European Union for granting it the membership candidate status.
Papuashvili referred to the opposition parties of United National Movement, Lelo and Strategy Aghmashenebeli and said their refusal to take part in the work was not a boycott, but a “sabotage of the process”.
A boycott means that a person or organisation does not get involved in the process, while a sabotage means that it damages the process by non-involvement”, the head of the legislative body said.
Papuashvili stressed that the priorities set by the European Council envisaged an “inclusive process”, with an involvement of the domestic stakeholders as wide as possible.
Failure to engage undermines the inclusiveness of this process. This is their calculation - to damage the inclusiveness of the process, so that Georgia does not receive a positive response [from the European Union]. This is a sabotage of Georgia's European future”, he concluded in his comments.
European Union Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell on Thursday said it was "very important for everyone in Georgia to realise” that the EU’s decision to “open the door” to Georgia with the European Council’s move to grant the country the European perspective was a “truly historic” moment.
The European Commision will present a report on the priorities in the enlargement package in 2023 to give the Georgian political system “sufficient time” to “thoroughly work” on the priorities for the European Union membership candidate status, Michael Rupp, a representative of the European Commission, said on Wednesday.
German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch on Wednesday said the 12-point conditions established by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status later this year were a “big challenge” for the Georgian political spectrum and noted the domestic political parties must find the “strength to cooperate” with each other.
Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the external affairs of the European Union, on Friday said Georgia would “get everything it had been promised” from the EU on the membership candidate status.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday signed a decree convening a special session of the Parliament to address the 12-point recommendations outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the Parliamentary majority would not participate in the special session of the Parliament convened by the Georgian President on Monday.
Citizens opposition party MP Aleko Elisashvili on Monday said his party had not joined the request for holding a special Parliament session on Monday as the issues raised by the domestic opposition had “not been prepared”, and pointed out the session required “more work and coordination” from the Parliamentary majority and the opposition.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the policy of the opposition United National Movement party was to “somehow harm” the country, highlighting the party’s refusal to participate in fulfilling the 12-point conditions established by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status later this year.
The Lelo opposition party will participate in all bills in the Georgian Parliament related to the 12-point conditions established by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status later this year, but only in an “institutional format”, Badri Japaridze, leader of the party said on Tuesday.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the domestic opposition was “doing everything” to prevent the country from receiving the European Union membership candidate status as it believed the outcome would boost the Government’s position.
Ruling Georgian Dream party MP Rati Ionatamishvili on Tuesday said it was “important” that the process of implementing the action plan for the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status continued “proactively”.