The Daily Beat: 11 July

Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili departed for Vilnius to attend the NATO summit. While in Vilnius, Ilia Darchiashvili met with his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis, thanking him for his warm hospitality and organization of a high-level gathering. According to the foreign ministry’s press release, ministers discussed Georgia’s NATO and EU integration issues.

NATO summit Communiqué reiterated the Allies’ commitment to the 2008 Bucharest Summit Decision that Georgia will become a member of the Alliance with MAP as an integral part of the process. The NATO Summit document also reaffirmed Alliance’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, calling on Russia to reverse its recognition of Georgian regions. In its statement, Foreign Ministry welcomed NATO’s position on Georgia.   

Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said that Georgia should not be “envious” that Ukraine could be admitted to NATO, skipping a MAP.  “Ukraine is in a state of war; Georgia is not. Therefore, a different approach is entirely natural,“ – claimed Kobakhidze, commenting on the expected skipping of the MAP requirement for Ukraine at the ongoing NATO Summit in Vilnius. In his remarks, Kobakhidze also recalled that the alliance did not grant MAP to Georgia in 2008 or at the subsequent NATO summits, even though the country went to war with Russia.

President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, is on an official visit to Georgia, holding meetings with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Speaker Shalva Papuashvili. According to the official press releases, the Georgian officials briefed the German guest on the country’s progress in the EU and NATO integration process, emphasizing the government’s efforts to meet 12 EU conditions. During the meetings in Tbilisi, Bärbel Bas pledged to continue supporting Georgia’s EU integration but urged authorities to implement necessary reforms further. She also recalled the recent violent attack on the Pride festival, stressing that it violated inherent European values such as freedom of assembly and minority rights. The President of the Bundestag is also scheduled to meet President Salome Zurabishvili and visit the occupation line.

Civil society organizations issued a joint statement in response to the events of 8 July, expressing solidarity with members of the LGBTQ+ community and calling on state institutions to act in line with Georgia’s constitution and international agreements.  In its statement, CSOs expressed deep concern about the Interior Ministry’s tolerant policy toward hate groups, raising alarming questions about “the ministry’s failure to fulfill its constitutional duties of safeguarding public safety and implementing preventive measures against crimes.”