Georgian Parliament Speaker, CoE Secretary General discuss October parliamentary elections

Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday met with Alain Berset, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on a visit to the country, to discuss the process and results of Georgia's parliamentary elections held in October.

Papuashvili noted ongoing public rallies in the country against the Government's decision to suspend European Union accession talks until 2028, and provided a “chronology of the violent protests”, the Georgian Parliament said.

The Speaker highlighted the significance of the international community “properly assessing the current events” in the country, with the parties also discussing the importance of the domestic opposition’s involvement in parliamentary activities as an “integral part of the democratic process”.

Both sides expressed a commitment to “further cooperation through open dialogue”, with the meeting also involving Tamar Taliashvili, Georgia’s Permanent Representative to the CoE, Thea Tsulukiani, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Givi Mikanadze, the head of the Georgian Parliament's permanent delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE, and Eka Sepashvili, a member of the delegation.