Parliament Vice Speaker: “fruitful” CoE cooperation “basis” for democracy consolidation

Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament’s Vice Speaker, on Friday said the “fruitful” cooperation between the country’s authorities and the Council of Europe served as “additional motivation” for a further consolidation of democracy, strengthening of the rule of law and protection of human rights in the country.

In remarks at a session of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliament official said Georgia had “proved” it could “implement reforms and strengthen democracy” despite the continued occupation of two of its regions by Russia and security challenges in the wider region.

Talakvadze also reviewed the work done by the Georgian Parliament over the recent years, noting in particular the constitutional amendments for stronger guarantees for the protection of human rights.

“We now have a stronger and more pluralistic Parliament, with more effective mechanisms for oversight and accountability, as well as opposition activities. Media has become independent and diverse. We have adopted new laws for greater involvement of women in politics”, Talakvadze said.

The official also focused on the reform of the judicial system and noted the number of complaints filed against Georgia in the European Court of Human Rights had decreased by 60% under the current Government.

“Today we really have a better Georgia than it was 10 years ago. We assure our partners that the commitments [with international bodies] will be fulfilled”, he concluded.