Day: March 13, 2024

The Georgian delegation headed by the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, is on an official visit to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from March 12 to 16. During the visit, Speaker Papuashvili held a meeting with the President of the Swiss National Council, Eric Nussbaumer; the President of the Swiss Council of States, Eva Herzog; and . Bilateral meetings with representatives of the government of Switzerland, as well as with the Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament of Liechtenstein are also planned.

Meeting with the President of the Swiss National Council

On March 13, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili met with the President of the Swiss National Council, Eric Nussbaumer. Papuashvili thanked Nussbaumer for Switzerland’s strong support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the country’s contribution to reconciliation and restoration of trust among the population divided by the occupation line.

According to the press release of the Georgian Parliament, the parties discussed the “close parliamentary cooperation” between the two countries. Shalva Papuashvili took note of the visit of the President of the Swiss National Council to Georgia in 2022 and underlined that his reciprocal visit to Switzerland gives a “positive charge to the Georgian-Swiss relations”. The parties also reviewed the “successful sectoral cooperation” in health care, professional education, agriculture, trade and other directions.

In a social media post published after the meeting, Shalva Papuashvili stressed Georgia’s readiness to “further enhance our partnership in education, healthcare, trade, agriculture, P2P ties in the years to come.”

Meeting with the President of the Swiss Council of States

Speaker Papuashvili met with the President of the Swiss Council of States, Eva Herzog. The parties met in the format of a working lunch and discussed cooperation between the two countries. Papuashvili thanked Eva Herzog for Switzerland’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, conflict resolution and democratic progress.

During the meeting, the parties discussed bilateral legislative relations, emphasizing the importance of high-level visits and key areas of cooperation. They also discussed Georgia’s parliamentary activities, challenges to international security and Georgia’s European integration plans.

Meeting with the Director of the Swiss Agency for Development

The Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, met with the Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Patricia Danzi, to discuss the projects implemented in Georgia.

The conversation touched on the ongoing activities in social and environmental protection, agriculture, education and other areas, as well as issues of future cooperation. The parties also reviewed the ongoing geopolitical changes in the Black Sea and South Caucasus regions, Georgia’s European integration processes and the democratic reforms underway in the country.

More to Follow…

Five local watchdogs said in their joint statement of March 13 that the initiative to establish a system of extraordinary integrity checks for judges, which is one of the nine conditions set by the European Commission for Georgia in November 2023, is “in full compliance with international standards and this fact has already been recognized by the European Court of Human Rights”. Earlier the ruling GD party representatives said they consider the so-called vetting “unacceptable”, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze going so far as to say that the introduction of such vetting of judges would violate the Georgian Constitution.

The watchdogs stress that the Government’s rhetoric against such an integrity check system has also been shared by the very judges whose integrity is highly questioned in society, including Shalva Tadumadze and Vladimer Kakabadze, life judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia, and Levan Murusidze, a U.S.-sanctioned life judge and member of the High Council of Justice of Georgia.

The CSOs reject the recent statement by the Supreme Court of Georgia which denounced the vetting mechanism to check the integrity of judges, suggesting that it does not meet international standards and will “undermine the independence of the judiciary and individual judges.”

The watchdogs also outline that the process of selecting judges of the Supreme Court was flawed therefore came under criticism from by local and international organizations, including the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), which monitored the process. CSOs note that the shortcomings of this process are well known to the general public due to the live broadcasts of the candidates’ interviews.

• 02/12/2021 – EU Slams Top Court Appointments in Georgia
• 26/11/2021 – U.S. Embassy Disappointed with Continued Top Court Selection

CSOs call on the authorities “to recognize the problems in the judicial system in a timely manner and start taking the steps that are provided by the 9 steps approved by the European Commission.”

The statement is signed by five local civil society organizations: Transparency International / TI – Georgia, Georgia’s Democratic Initiative, Georgian Court Watch, Democracy Defenders and the Civil Society Foundation.

On February 27, the coalition of twelve civil society organizations presented a detailed vision for the implementation of the nine steps defined by the European Commission for Georgia to move to the next stage of the EU integration process and start accession talks. Drawing on the relevant EU Commission’s recommendation, the CSOs called on the government to create an emergency system in which international experts will play a crucial role in verifying the integrity of candidates and those already appointed/elected to leadership positions in the judiciary, including the High Council of Justice, judges of the Supreme Court and Chairs of Courts. In addition, the CSOs called for the creation of a system for permanent and periodic verification of property declarations, which will involve international experts with a supervisory and advisory mandate.

Also Read:

• 26/12/2023 – Government’s Plan of Measures to Implement European Commission’s Nine Steps

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili is visiting Finland on March 12 and 13. During the visit he has already met with the President of Finland Alexander Stubb and the Minister of Foreign Affars of Finland Elina Valtonen.

Additional meetings are scheduled with the Minister of European Affairs of Finland Anders Adlercreutz, and representatives of the Grand Committee of Parliament.

Meeting with Finland’s President

The meeting of FM Darchiashvili with President Stubb took place on March 13, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.

According to the official press release of the Georgian MFA, the two sides discussed the partnership relations between Georgia and Finland, as well as the prospects for their future development.

The meeting focused on Georgia’s European integration process and Finland’s role in it.

FM Darchiashvili thanked President Stubb for his support of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also expressed his gratitude for then-Foreign Minister Stubb’s personal involvement in a “decisive moment” for Georgia in 2008 and his contribution to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“Delighted to commence my official visit to Finland by meeting President Alexander Stubb. We discussed the core aspects of global security challenges and accentuated the significance of maintaining regional security. I focused on Georgia’s role in this context. I also expressed gratitude for Finland’s staunch support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the country’s EU membership path,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted.

“A very good meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Ilia Darchiashvili today at the Presidential Palace. We discussed many topics, also recent history. In 2008, we should have seen what was coming. Let us not repeat our mistakes,” President Alexander Stubb tweeted.

Meeting with Finland’s Foreign Minister

FM Darchiashvili also met with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen. During the meeting, the sides discussed the agenda of Finnish-Georgian relations with a special focus on business ties.

The meeting also focused on Georgia’s European integration process. FM Darchiashvili emphasized the importance of Finland’s support for Georgia in starting accession negotiations.

He also briefed his counterpart on the security, humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. The two sides discussed the Geneva International Discussions and underlined the support of international partners for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

FM Darchiashvili invited FM Valtonen to Georgia.

“During my visit to Finland, I had a very good meeting with my counterpart Elina Valtonen, addressing key issues of the bilateral agenda. We focused on the opportunities for enhancing relations between the two countries in various areas of mutual interest and agreed that commitment to strong diplomatic ties remains unwavering. I also briefed my colleague regarding Georgia’s plans on the EU accession path and highlighted the importance of Finland’s support in this process,” FM Darchiashvili tweeted.

“Glad to host my colleague, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili in Helsinki. First meeting between Finland and Georgia after Georgia received the EU candidate country status. The work on necessary reforms continues, with Finland’s support. Happy to deepen our bilateral ties,” FM Valtonen tweeted.

More to follow…