President signs decree appointing special session of Parliament
She stressed convening the session was “completely justified”, with “no justification” for easing off the work on the conditions. Photo: Presidential Press Office
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Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday signed a decree convening a special session of the Parliament to address the 12-point conditions outlined by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Today, our biggest challenge is to do everything we can to fulfil the 12 conditions of the European Commission. Now is not the time to rest. It's time for dialogue, for work - all together”, Zourabichvili said in comments on her move.
She stressed convening the session was “completely justified”, with “no justification” for easing off the work on the conditions.
I call on everyone - the [Parliamentary] opposition and the majority - to fully participate in everything. We must make every effort to adopt the laws that are to be adopted in a timely manner. [...] The only perspective for this country is the European perspective that we have adopted, and no one has the right to divert us from this path”, she concluded in her comments.
Forty-six opposition MPs had earlier appealed to the President about convening the special session of the legislative body.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Georgia must understand that the European perspective granted to the country by the European Parliament and the European Council is “extremely important”, President Salome Zourabichvili said in a joint press conference with Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday.