If Georgia does not receive EU candidate status, “radical opposition” plans to use it to stir turmoil -  ruling party head

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said “if Georgia does not receive the European Union membership candidate status, the “radical” domestic opposition will use it to stir up unrest in the country”.

The opposition’s plans to “trigger off unrest” in the country are the reason for their “campaign carried out” against the country’s candidate status, Kobakhidze noted, stressing the ruling party would not give “anyone” the opportunity to do that in Georgia.

They will try to move the processes [protest] to the street, for which they are preparing [their] activists, [...] as in previous cases no one was given the opportunity to disrupt the country, it will be the same this year and the following years”, Kobakhidze said.

At the press briefing, he also spoke about the opposition United National Movement party’s initiative to form a Parliamentary investigative commission into the domestic judiciary following the United States Government’s sanctioning of Georgian judges, noting the ruling party’s position did not change and they would do “everything”, within the law, to ensure that the commission not to be created.