Day: July 9, 2024
On July 9, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili reacted to the EU’s apparent decision to freeze EUR 30 million European Peace Facility aid to Georgia against the backdrop of the foreign agents law and the recent anti-democratic actions taken by the Georgian authorities.
“We should remember that in 2014, when the European Union could not find in its member states those willing to participate in the military mission in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA), Georgia (with the decision of the “Georgian Dream” government) sent 150 soldiers, saving this mission of the European Union from failure,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook, adding that Georgia was the only non-member country “in this very difficult operation,” with the second largest contingent after France.
Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, currently in Washington to attend the NATO summit, said, “Such micro-decisions are incomprehensible to us because the challenges in terms of security, including the occupation, have not disappeared.” He noted that these decisions will not be able to hinder Georgia’s aspirations for EU integration.
In this context, he stressed that Georgia needs to strengthen its defense capabilities “even more” and expressed hope that such decisions will be reversed to the “previous point.” He emphasized that relations between Georgia and the EU are based on the Association Agreement, adding that “we have all made our commitments and we are consistently … fulfilling these commitments, and I would not give such a harsh assessment as the EU Ambassador did”.
Also Read:
On July 9, three opposition parties: Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa, announced their decision to post a joint election list for the Parliamentary elections in October. The leaders said an expected alliance with yet another party, Lelo, did not materialize due to “minor differences.”
According to Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of Ahali, the door for cooperation remains open with Lelo and negotiations will continue with other opposition parties. “There is enough time,” he said
Two of the parties, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa, have been allied for about a year. It is not yet clear which ballot number and name the new coalition will use in the elections.
Aims and priorities
The leaders focused in their statements and adhesion to the Georgian Charter, initiated by President Salome Zurabishvili. They also pledged “non-cooperation with Bidzina Ivanishvili’s regime”, importance of “coordination of the opposition” and “non-aggression” among them.
“Today we unite to send Bidzina Ivanishvili’s government home, to get Russian influences out of Georgia and for Georgia to become a member of the European Union,” said Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of Ahali.
“Future elections are our responsibility. To the society that has struggled and succeeded, we must give them a choice,” said Helen Khoshtaria, leader of Droa.
“I believe we now have a unique opportunity to bring peace to this country and make it a full member of the European Union in five years. The only thing standing in the way of this goal is the Russian regime. It is essential to change this regime on October 26,” said Zurab Japaridze, leader of Girchi-More Freedom.
“For us, it was important on the one hand to give the opposition-leaning voters a variety of choices, but it was more important, given the context, not to lose any of the opposition votes,” said Nika Melia, co-chair of Ahali.
The day before, United National Movement (UNM) and Strategy Aghmashenebeli, which already had been allied for a year, announced the creation of a new political platform “Unity – to Save Georgia.”
Georgia’s fragmented opposition has been scrambling to unite and avoid opposition vote being wastes under the 5% election threshold. An agreement on a joint least has proven impossible, but smaller groupings are likely to continue to emerge.
Lelo and former PM Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia” remain unaligned.
On July 9, the Press Office of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation claimed that there is a “determined attitude in Washington to achieve a change of government in Georgia following the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 26 this year,” accusing the Biden administration of developing “an extensive information campaign” to discredit Georgia’s ruling party.
“The main plot lines of the fabricated scenario, crafted “in the best Hollywood traditions,” have become known. With the typical anti-Russian sentiment of the White House as its basis, the propaganda campaign plans to center on a “sensational exposure”: blaming Russia for all of Georgia’s troubles…” the statement said.
The Russian authorities claimed that Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili is poised to play a pivotal role in stoking anti-government sentiment. The statement further accused the “American ‘curators’” of instructing the Georgian opposition to initiate planning of protests timed to coincide with the upcoming Parliamentary elections.
“The population of Tbilisi is expected to act as a “battering ram” against the authorities, having been “stirred up” during the anti-government protests earlier this spring due to the “foreign agent” law. The plan includes a “sacred sacrifice” among the protest participants, which will direct the “people’s anger” towards the security forces. American provocateurs have ample experience in this regard, as seen in the Kiev “Maidan” a decade ago, where hundreds of people were sacrificed on the “altar of democracy,” including some shot by Georgian sniper-mercenaries,” the Russian Intelligence said.
Also Read:
On July 9, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili reacted to the EU’s apparent decision to freeze EUR 30 million European Peace Facility aid to Georgia against the backdrop of the foreign agents law and the recent anti-democratic actions taken by the Georgian authorities.
“We should remember that in 2014, when the European Union could not find in its member states those willing to participate in the military mission in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA), Georgia (with the decision of the “Georgian Dream” government) sent 150 soldiers, saving this mission of the European Union from failure,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook, adding that Georgia was the only non-member country “in this very difficult operation,” with the second largest contingent after France.
Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, currently in Washington to attend the NATO summit, said, “Such micro-decisions are incomprehensible to us because the challenges in terms of security, including the occupation, have not disappeared.” He noted that these decisions will not be able to hinder Georgia’s aspirations for EU integration.
In this context, he stressed that Georgia needs to strengthen its defense capabilities “even more” and expressed hope that such decisions will be reversed to the “previous point.” He emphasized that relations between Georgia and the EU are based on the Association Agreement, adding that “we have all made our commitments and we are consistently … fulfilling these commitments, and I would not give such a harsh assessment as the EU Ambassador did”.
Also Read:
On July 9, three opposition parties: Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa, announced their decision to post a joint election list for the Parliamentary elections in October. The leaders said an expected alliance with yet another party, Lelo, did not materialize due to “minor differences.”
According to Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of Ahali, the door for cooperation remains open with Lelo and negotiations will continue with other opposition parties. “There is enough time,” he said
Two of the parties, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa, have been allied for about a year. It is not yet clear which ballot number and name the new coalition will use in the elections.
Aims and priorities
The leaders focused in their statements and adhesion to the Georgian Charter, initiated by President Salome Zurabishvili. They also pledged “non-cooperation with Bidzina Ivanishvili’s regime”, importance of “coordination of the opposition” and “non-aggression” among them.
“Today we unite to send Bidzina Ivanishvili’s government home, to get Russian influences out of Georgia and for Georgia to become a member of the European Union,” said Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of Ahali.
“Future elections are our responsibility. To the society that has struggled and succeeded, we must give them a choice,” said Helen Khoshtaria, leader of Droa.
“I believe we now have a unique opportunity to bring peace to this country and make it a full member of the European Union in five years. The only thing standing in the way of this goal is the Russian regime. It is essential to change this regime on October 26,” said Zurab Japaridze, leader of Girchi-More Freedom.
“For us, it was important on the one hand to give the opposition-leaning voters a variety of choices, but it was more important, given the context, not to lose any of the opposition votes,” said Nika Melia, co-chair of Ahali.
The day before, United National Movement (UNM) and Strategy Aghmashenebeli, which already had been allied for a year, announced the creation of a new political platform “Unity – to Save Georgia.”
Georgia’s fragmented opposition has been scrambling to unite and avoid opposition vote being wastes under the 5% election threshold. An agreement on a joint least has proven impossible, but smaller groupings are likely to continue to emerge.
Lelo and former PM Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia” remain unaligned.