Opposition women MPs, Ambassadors discuss EU conditions implementation
The discussion also touched on the role of the Gender Equality Council in the Parliament, as well as on the feedback received from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the Justice reform and the imprisonment of Nika Gvaramia, the Director General of the main opposition TV channel. Photo via Parliament of Georgia
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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.
Khatia Dekanoidze, the Chair of the United National Movement opposition party in the Parliament, said the MPs had stressed the importance of granting Georgia the candidate status at the meeting with the Ambassadors, as the country’s European path was asserted by Georgian citizens, the Parliament press office said.
The meeting was also attended by Teona Akubardia, an MP from the opposition Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, Khatuna Samnidze, the Chair of the Republican Party, and members of Lelo party Ana Natsvlishvili and Salome Samadashvili, as well as Citizens party member Ketevan Turazashvili, For Georgia party member Ana Buchukuri and independent MP Tamar Kordzaia.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the opposition United National Movement party’s boycotting of the Parliament was “incompatible” with goals of implementation of the European Union conditions for granting the country its membership candidate status.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on Tuesday said all political forces in Georgia had to cooperate to implement the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
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.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said if Europe “really wanted” to end political polarisation in Georgia, the bloc should grant the country the European Union membership candidate status.