Colonialism, disrespect for the sovereignty of the countries it colonized has got into the blood of the French government. Unfortunately, even though official Paris, which is used to this kind of attitude, has exceeded the limit, it is trying to behave in the same way towards Azerbaijan.
Day: March 21, 2024
On March 21 the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which comprises over seventy member parties, adopted the ALDE 2024 Manifesto, at the party’s extraordinary congress in Brussels, which aims to ensure that Georgia and other candidate countries meet the EU accession criteria by 2029.
The Manifesto has not yet been published, but Zurab (Girchi) Japaridze, leader of the opposition Girchi-More Freedom which is an ALDE member party from Georgia, shared with the public an excerpt that mentions Georgia and other candidate countries.
Japaridze revealed that at the initiative of Girchi-More Freedom, another Georgian opposition ALDE-affiliated party- Strategy Aghmashenebeli, and Ukrainian delegates, ALDE manifesto included a a clause stating that ALDE party’s “ambition is to ensure that the countries of the Western Balkans, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are ready to meet all accession criteria by 2029.”
The excerpt says that the ALDE Party fights for the EU enlargement as a tool for reform and security. “[We] reaffirm our commitment to an open-door policy for the European countries that fulfill the Copenhagen criteria and make sure that the EU sends strong signals that the compliance of the criteria and the benchmark achievements brings tangible results.”
Zurab Japaridze noted that the Dutch representatives ensured the inclusion in the Manifesto of the requirement for the candidate countries to not only meet the Copenhagen criteria but also to align their foreign and security policies with those of the European Union as a prerequisite for membership.
The Extraordinary Congress nominated Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the ALDE member FDP in Germany as the Liberal lead candidate for the European Parliament elections in June 2024. In addition to the ALDE Manifesto 2024 the Congress adopted the new ALDE Charter of Values, as well as three urgent resolutions.
Renew Europe, the third largest political group in the European Parliament, was established for the current parliamentary term as the successor to the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political group as a result of forming of a new alliance with French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance. Key figures associated with Renew Europe include Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob.
ALDE’s Georgian members include Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi-More Freedom, Lelo for Georgia, Free Democrats and Republican Party of Georgia.
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The head of the Georgian delegation to the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, Maka Botchorishvili, accused the opposition members of the delegation and the Ukrainian delegation of not supporting a draft resolution on the occupied Georgian territories and the EU integration of Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia. The opposition members of the delegation have denied the accusation and blamed the anti-Western rhetoric of the Georgian Dream as the reason for the failure to collect the ten signatures needed to register the resolution.
Among other points, the draft resolution:
- Underlines the “strong commitment” of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to use all available means to achieve EU integration;
- Demands that Russia immediately cease all military actions in Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all forces, proxies and military equipment from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, and refrain from further threats or violations of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity;
- Calls on the EU institutions and member states to take significant steps to ensure that Russia fulfills its obligations under the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008.
- Calls on the EU institutions and Member States to use the term “occupation” in relation to the regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region – which are illegally occupied and controlled by Russia, in accordance with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and the findings of the International Criminal Court;
In the 110-member EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, 60 members come from the European Parliament, while the remaining 50 represent the Eastern Partnership countries, including ten members each from the national parliaments of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The participation of Belarus is currently suspended. During the 11th session of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly held in Brussels, the Georgian delegation consisted of nine members, five of whom represented the GD and four the opposition.
On March 20, Maka Botchorishvili informed journalists that her initiated draft resolution received support only from the five members of the Georgian Dream delegation and three representatives of the Moldovan delegation. Two additional signatures were required to register the resolution. She says the Georgian opposition and the Ukrainian delegation declined to sign the document.
On the same day, the National United Movement (UNM), Georgia’s largest opposition party, issued a statement on Facebook accusing MP Botchorishvili of “disinformation.” UNM says the Georgian Dream party attempted to register the resolution without notifying opposition party representatives. They say the MEPs were reluctant to sign due to GD’s anti-Western actions and rhetoric.
MP Bochorishvili revisited the matter in a detailed social media post. She highlighted that the draft resolution was initiated following negotiations with the Moldovan and Ukrainian delegations, as it pertained to all three countries. She also said the opposition’s assertion of being unaware of the resolution was false since the draft was officially sent to the political groups. MP Botchorishvili also mentioned that she directly requested signatures from the opposition MPs, and the delegation’s Secretariat reminded them about it on multiple occasions.
In her statement, Botchorishvili also emphasized that the opposition’s assertion that she couldn’t garner ten supporters among 110 members of the assembly was “absurdly ignorant.” “The initiative of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine required signatures from these three delegations, not from the entire European Parliament, which would have been easy if not for the refusal of the Ukrainian delegation and the Georgian opposition to sign,” – she remarked.
On March 21 the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which comprises over seventy member parties, adopted the ALDE 2024 Manifesto, at the party’s extraordinary congress in Brussels, which aims to ensure that Georgia and other candidate countries meet the EU accession criteria by 2029.
The Manifesto has not yet been published, but Zurab (Girchi) Japaridze, leader of the opposition Girchi-More Freedom which is an ALDE member party from Georgia, shared with the public an excerpt that mentions Georgia and other candidate countries.
Japaridze revealed that at the initiative of Girchi-More Freedom, another Georgian opposition ALDE-affiliated party- Strategy Aghmashenebeli, and Ukrainian delegates, ALDE manifesto included a a clause stating that ALDE party’s “ambition is to ensure that the countries of the Western Balkans, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are ready to meet all accession criteria by 2029.”
The excerpt says that the ALDE Party fights for the EU enlargement as a tool for reform and security. “[We] reaffirm our commitment to an open-door policy for the European countries that fulfill the Copenhagen criteria and make sure that the EU sends strong signals that the compliance of the criteria and the benchmark achievements brings tangible results.”
Zurab Japaridze noted that the Dutch representatives ensured the inclusion in the Manifesto of the requirement for the candidate countries to not only meet the Copenhagen criteria but also to align their foreign and security policies with those of the European Union as a prerequisite for membership.
The Extraordinary Congress nominated Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the ALDE member FDP in Germany as the Liberal lead candidate for the European Parliament elections in June 2024. In addition to the ALDE Manifesto 2024 the Congress adopted the new ALDE Charter of Values, as well as three urgent resolutions.
Renew Europe, the third largest political group in the European Parliament, was established for the current parliamentary term as the successor to the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political group as a result of forming of a new alliance with French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance. Key figures associated with Renew Europe include Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob.
ALDE’s Georgian members include Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi-More Freedom, Lelo for Georgia, Free Democrats and Republican Party of Georgia.
Also Read:
The head of the Georgian delegation to the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, Maka Botchorishvili, accused the opposition members of the delegation and the Ukrainian delegation of not supporting a draft resolution on the occupied Georgian territories and the EU integration of Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia. The opposition members of the delegation have denied the accusation and blamed the anti-Western rhetoric of the Georgian Dream as the reason for the failure to collect the ten signatures needed to register the resolution.
Among other points, the draft resolution:
- Underlines the “strong commitment” of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to use all available means to achieve EU integration;
- Demands that Russia immediately cease all military actions in Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all forces, proxies and military equipment from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, and refrain from further threats or violations of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity;
- Calls on the EU institutions and member states to take significant steps to ensure that Russia fulfills its obligations under the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008.
- Calls on the EU institutions and Member States to use the term “occupation” in relation to the regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region – which are illegally occupied and controlled by Russia, in accordance with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and the findings of the International Criminal Court;
In the 110-member EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, 60 members come from the European Parliament, while the remaining 50 represent the Eastern Partnership countries, including ten members each from the national parliaments of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The participation of Belarus is currently suspended. During the 11th session of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly held in Brussels, the Georgian delegation consisted of nine members, five of whom represented the GD and four the opposition.
On March 20, Maka Botchorishvili informed journalists that her initiated draft resolution received support only from the five members of the Georgian Dream delegation and three representatives of the Moldovan delegation. Two additional signatures were required to register the resolution. She says the Georgian opposition and the Ukrainian delegation declined to sign the document.
On the same day, the National United Movement (UNM), Georgia’s largest opposition party, issued a statement on Facebook accusing MP Botchorishvili of “disinformation.” UNM says the Georgian Dream party attempted to register the resolution without notifying opposition party representatives. They say the MEPs were reluctant to sign due to GD’s anti-Western actions and rhetoric.
MP Bochorishvili revisited the matter in a detailed social media post. She highlighted that the draft resolution was initiated following negotiations with the Moldovan and Ukrainian delegations, as it pertained to all three countries. She also said the opposition’s assertion of being unaware of the resolution was false since the draft was officially sent to the political groups. MP Botchorishvili also mentioned that she directly requested signatures from the opposition MPs, and the delegation’s Secretariat reminded them about it on multiple occasions.
In her statement, Botchorishvili also emphasized that the opposition’s assertion that she couldn’t garner ten supporters among 110 members of the assembly was “absurdly ignorant.” “The initiative of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine required signatures from these three delegations, not from the entire European Parliament, which would have been easy if not for the refusal of the Ukrainian delegation and the Georgian opposition to sign,” – she remarked.