The decision by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan through which it implemented tariff concessions for the import of a number of products under the Preferential Trade Agreement with Azerbaijan had a great impetus to boost trade and economic ties between the two countries. As the agreement came into force on December 16 of this year, the names of some of the products to be imported were also determined.
Day: December 23, 2024
Zourabichvili invites Ivanishvili for negotiations
On December 22, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili addressed a massive pro-European rally on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, inviting Bidzina Ivanishvili—the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, widely considered the country’s shadow ruler—to meet at the presidential administration to discuss plans for new parliamentary elections.
The president announced she would wait for Ivanishvili on Monday, December 23, and stressed the urgency of holding the meeting before December 29, when Georgian Dream intends to inaugurate its newly elected president, Mikheil Kavelashvili.
Zourabichvili reaffirmed her commitment to the constitution, declaring that she “remains the legitimate president of Georgia and commander-in-chief until new parliamentary elections are held.”
For more than three weeks, pro-European protests have swept through the streets of Tbilisi and other cities across Georgia. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are calling for the protection of the constitution—enshrining the country’s path toward European integration—and demanding new parliamentary elections to enable a legitimate change of government.
The opposition, the president, and civil society have rejected the October 26 parliamentary elections as fraudulent, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the parliament, the government it formed, or the newly elected president.
During Zourabichvili’s speech on Rustaveli Avenue, her microphone was abruptly cut off after a few minutes, forcing her to continue addressing the crowd with a megaphone.
“Let’s meet at the presidential administration and discuss new parliamentary elections,” said Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, inviting oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, widely regarded as the shadow ruler of Georgia. “After all, he is the one pulling all the strings,” she… pic.twitter.com/hu8zjXwTMf
— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) December 22, 2024
There are already hundreds of thousands gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. President Salome Zourabichvili is speaking: “Georgia will be free, Georgia is Europe,” she says. The crowd chants, “Salome!” and then, “Elections!”
For 25 days now, large-scale protests have been… pic.twitter.com/Q7PW9L3rFT
— JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus) December 22, 2024
What did Salome Zourabichvili say?
“This is a very symbolic place where I now stand before you (School No. 1 on Rustaveli Avenue). My father studied here […] A new Georgia has already been born thanks to you, and tomorrow it will be a strong, European Georgia—nothing can stop this.
I’ve been told I’ll soon be imprisoned.”
Earlier, Irakli Kobakhidze, the prime minister appointed by Georgian Dream, stated that Salome Zourabichvili would be jailed if she refused to step down before December 29, when the ruling party plans to inaugurate its chosen new president, Mikheil Kavelashvili.
“Are we afraid? Anyone who says a [revolution] is being born here is lying, as they do about so much else. What reigns here is peace, love, and freedom. <…> Let me tell you what I will do. I will remain loyal to the Georgian army, which defends Georgia and is committed to our partners who have equipped and strengthened it. I am and will remain its commander-in-chief. No one should think I am not the president of all. I am and I will be! <…>
The parliamentary elections on October 26 were illegitimate and unrecognized—neither by you nor by Georgia’s international partners.
When a government is illegitimate and unconstitutional, we are plunged into a deep crisis. The only way out of it in any democratic country is to hold new elections. Therefore, I invite Kobakhidze, the speaker of parliament from Georgian Dream, Papuashvili, as well as other parties that participated in the elections and the organizations that observed them. Let’s discuss how and when to schedule new elections.
[…] Let Ivanishvili come to the negotiations about new elections—he’s the one in charge of everything. Until December 29, we have a chance to move this country forward and make it a symbol of democracy, reconciliation, and progress. I await a response. And to be clear, on the evening of December 23, I will record a new address from the presidential administration.”
Visioner, a project estimating the number of protest participants, reported that on December 21 and 22, no fewer than 200,000 people gathered in central Tbilisi each evening. Irakli Kobakhidze, however, claimed that the opposition and the president were unable to draw more than 3,000 people.
38 OSCE participating states have invoked the OSCE Vienna Mechanism expressing deep concern over human rights developments in Georgia since the November 28 announcement on withdrawal from the EU membership process, and inviting Georgia to engage in a constructive dialogue. The letter addressed to the Ambassador of Georgia Alexander Maisuradze on December 20 invited Georgia to provide concrete and substantive responses to a number of concerns, in line with its human dimension commitments.
Noting that there has been a “significant wave of peaceful protests in Georgia” the OSCE member states note that hundreds of people have been detained and ill-treated by the police, with dozens of cases of” interference and violence against journalists and media actors.”
These reported acts of harassment, physical or psychological abuse, the signatories say, may constitute human rights violations and abuses. They quote the Public Defender of Georgia who has denounced the disproportionate use of force against demonstrators “and suspects that unlawful violence against citizens is used as a form of punishment that may amount to acts of torture.”
“In addition, numerous NGOs have documented alleged human rights violations related to the ongoing protests, including against opposition politicians, civil society representatives, and journalists,” the letter says adding that “to date, despite documented cases of brutality, there have been no consequences for the law enforcement officers perpetrating these violations.”
The OSCE members further express “grave concerns for the reported human rights violations committed by law enforcement representatives and for the use of violence by unidentified groups against peaceful protestors, journalists and bystanders, which has remained unaddressed by law enforcement representatives.”
They also note that “the repeated failure to ensure accountability for perpetrators and to address incidents of undue violence, including those involving law enforcement officials, raises significant concerns” adding that in recent years “Georgian authorities have not taken sufficient measures to guarantee access to justice for victims or to thoroughly investigate and address such incidents.” The letter stresses: “This persistent pattern highlights a need for more robust mechanisms to prevent impunity and ensure justice.”
Underlining that “in the 1991 Moscow Document, OSCE participating States agreed that commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned” and noting “Georgia’s unsatisfactory response to international calls to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and freedom of expression for the people in Georgia, and to release arbitrarily detained demonstrators” the OSCE members say they are invoking the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, along with the commitments and responsibilities of Georgia under that Mechanism.
The signatories list their concerns, such as freedom of peaceful assembly, arbitrary arrests and detentions, targeting of political opposition, targeting of journalists, and mistreatment that may constitute torture.
Taking into account the relevant obligations of Georgia under international law and OSCE commitments, the signatories request concrete and substantial responses in writing within ten days, in accordance with the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism. Among other issues, detailed answers are requested to the following:
- What steps been taken by the Georgian authorities to investigate allegations that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is being violated, that individuals are being arbitrarily detained or arrested, including individuals not participating in the protests, and that police have been acting without clear identification as required by Georgian law?
- What steps been taken to investigate all allegations of torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment?
- What steps been taken to investigate allegations of violence against peaceful protestors, journalists, media actors and bystanders by unidentified groups as well as allegations of deliberate inaction by law enforcement officials in response to these occurrences?
- What steps been taken to ensure the ability of civil society, journalists and media actors to freely document and report, without reprisal or risk to their personal health and safety, on the ongoing protests in Georgia?
- What steps been taken to ensure that opposition parties and politicians can continue their political activities without threats or violence? What measures are in place to safeguard political plurality and democratic principles?
The letter is signed by: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Ukraine.
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