Opposition MP calls on UNM, others to join work on EU candidate status conditions
Elisashvili’s comments followed the statement of UNM Chair Levan Khabeishvili, who earlier today said his party would give the Government time until April 9 to implement the conditions or face protest rallies. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Aleko Elisashvili, an MP from the Citizens opposition party, on Wednesday called on the United National Movement party and other opposition groups to join the ongoing work at the Parliament for fulfilling the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status later this year.
Elisashvili’s comments followed the statement of UNM Chair Levan Khabeishvili, who earlier today said his party would give the Government time until April 9 to implement the conditions or face protest rallies.
The recommendations are to be implemented in the Parliament. Let the UNM and others work together. That is what we were told [to do by European bodies]. [I call for this] Not because I enjoy working with [UNM], [but because] they [European partners] instructed us to do so and gave us such a recommendation”, Elisashvili said.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Parliament was on course to complete implementing the priorities set out by the European Commission last year by the end of its spring session, which closes on June 30.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the implementation of the bloc’s conditions was the “only way” for the country to move forward on its European path.
Givi Mikanadze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Georgian Parliament was on course to complete implementing the priorities set out by the European Commission last year for granting the country a European Union membership candidate status by the end of its spring session.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said the implementation of the bloc’s conditions for granting Georgia the membership candidate status was the only way for the country to move forward on its European path.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on Tuesday reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to Georgia’s European integration path after his meeting with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili in Brussels on Monday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday hosted visiting representatives of the European Union External Action Service and the European Commission at an official dinner in Tbilisi.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said “creating a gulag system and oppressing people” was the “political philosophy” of the opposition United National Movement party.
Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Citizens opposition party, on Thursday said he would not join the rally scheduled by a part of the domestic opposition in central Tbilisi on April 9 due to its connection to the United National Movement opposition party.
Khatuna Samnidze, an opposition MP and the Chair of the Republican Party, on Thursday said the demand for snap elections by a part of the domestic opposition was “wrong and a political short-sightedness”.
Thea Tsulukiani, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia, on Friday said it was “up to the European Union and not the domestic opposition” to set deadlines for the implementation of the bloc’s conditions for granting the country its membership candidate status.
The implementation of the European Union’s 12-point recommendations for granting Georgia its membership candidate status was discussed on Wednesday by female members of the Georgian Parliamentary opposition and the Ambassadors to Georgia from Greece, Hungary, France and Norway, as well as Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland.