“Only in Georgia” is “radical opposition” fighting against country’s EU integration - parliament vice speaker

Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian parliament’s vice speaker, on Wednesday said the domestic opposition had attempted to portray the conditions set by the European Union for granting the country the membership candidate status as “something very unusual and negative”, which he claimed stemmed from its efforts to act “against the country’s European integration”. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party politician said the priorities set by the bloc for membership had also applied to Ukraine and Moldova - other aspirant states - as well as to any other country that had applied for membership. 

He also said the report drafted by the EU with recommendations for Georgia to implement judiciary, electoral and other reforms in the process was “actually very positive and supportive”.

However, representatives of the radical wing of the opposition who are trying to cite the document in a negative context have not read the report at all. [Only] [t]hree or four of them might be aware of the content of the document”, Talakvadze claimed. 

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The parliamentary official also said in contrast to other applicant countries, “only Georgia” had a domestic opposition “which is fighting against the country’s membership candidate status and its integration into the bloc”.