PM: Georgia is small country with many challenges, needing stronger partners, allies
Garibashvili also said the ruling team would adopt the Ukrainian model of the law on “de-oligarchisation”, which had been approved by the EU. Photo: Government administration
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Georgia is a small country, we have a lot of challenges, some of the territories are occupied and we need “stronger” partners and allies, as well as “strong relations” with “everyone”, especially with our “main partners” - the United States and the European Union, the Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media Garibashvili commented on the extent to which he shares the views of Popular Force, a public movement created by former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party who had exited the team in June, regarding the West, and said Georgia has been a democratic society and should promote pluralism “as much as possible”, as well as the development of different ideas and ideologies, every individual having a right to make “any decision” and in the end to decide which ideology is acceptable for them.
We've had conversations within the [Georgian Dream party] team about these issues and we've told them that we don't agree with their positions and made that clear. We told them that it was unacceptable to express their positions in such a way. [...] we have differences in positions and that's why we are separated", Garibashvili added.
The head of the government also made remarks about the “de-oligarchisation” and noted that the Georgian opposition could not forgive Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former prime minister and the founder of the Georgian Dream party, that on October 1, 2012, he had ended the “dictatorship and the oppression of people”, as well as the “destruction of the country”.
Today, we have a successful domestic and foreign policy in the country. All the achievements connected with the success of our country on the path of the EU or in the direction of NATO are all related to the Georgian Dream party, including the Association Agreement, the visa-free travel with the EU and the free trade agreement, and now we officially submitted application for the membership and the European perspective that could not be dreamed of during the ruling of the United National Movement”, the PM noted.
Garibashvili also said the ruling team would adopt the Ukrainian model of the law on “de-oligarchisation”, which had been approved by the EU.
Five more MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Tuesday joined Popular Force, a public movement created by former ruling Georgian Dream party lawmakers who exited the team in June.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the working group engaged in implementing European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was preparing to present its bill on deoligarchisation.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the bill on deoligarchisation, a draft addressing one of the conditions of the European Union for granting Georgia the membership candidate status, would not be passed by the ruling team if consensus among the nongovernmental sector, the “radical” domestic opposition and the EU was against it.
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.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Sunday told reporters “nobody” has been eavesdropping on government representatives and called the accusation that the state security service has been wiretapping the ruling Georgian Dream party’s members a “lie”.