President’s “Unity Platform for Europe” Kicks off with First Talks with Opposition
On February 7, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili began the first meetings with representatives of opposition parties within the framework of the “Unity Platform for Europe”, which she had announced the day before in her annual address to the Parliament.
The leaders of the opposition party “Lelo for Georgia,” Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, were the first to meet with the President at the Orbeliani Palace today, followed by the member of the parliamentary faction “Reform Group,” Teona Akubardia. Another meeting was held with Zurab Japaridze and Giga Lemonjava of the opposition alliance of “Girchi-More Freedom” and “Droa.”
Comments by the meetings’ participants
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the Lelo, said the meeting focused on discussing plans for achieving the “national choice of the Georgian people, i.e. the European choice very soon and very effectively.” He stated, “We know that today Georgia is ruled by the Russian Government with Russian methods and money from Russia,” adding that Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and Honorary Chairman of the ruling party “Georgian Dream,” leads this Government. Khazaradze stressed that he and his party are ready to work for the development of the country in many aspects, including the goal of becoming a member of the European Union “along with all other Georgian patriots” who seek the same, including President Zurabishvili.
Teona Akubardia clarified that the President’s initiative is not aimed at forming a political alliance, as portrayed by the “Georgian Dream,” but rather at uniting parties around the idea and goal of Georgia’s European future. She emphasized that the initiative focuses on the implementation of fundamental reforms necessary for starting the EU accession talks. Akubardia also stressed that she and President Zurabishvili agreed on the societal demand for political parties and civil society organizations to cooperate more closely on various issues and “strengthen the synergy for the European future of the country.” She added that the President also spoke about a specific document that will aim to bring not only political parties but also civil society organizations around the common principles and positions.
Zurab Japaridze, the leader of “Girchi-More Freedom,” said two issues were discussed during the meeting with the President. The first one was the participation of Georgians living abroad in the upcoming parliamentary elections, an issue that his party has been advocating in recent months. Japaridze noted the President’s interest in challenges and the current situation in this regard. The second issue was the reforms necessary for Georgia to move to start the EU accession negotiations. Japaridze conveyed that the President considers it crucial for political parties to work together to articulate a common vision of the essential reforms needed for Georgia’s progress. These include, first and foremost, judicial reform, electoral system reform, fighting corruption, and de-oligarchization.
The party “For Georgia,” led by ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, says it won’t join. Mikheil Daushvili, the party’s representative, stated that for those willing to join the president’s platform, “the path of the country’s Euro-integration leads to the release of Misha [Mikheil] Saakashvili, his pardon or some form of it.” Daushvili emphasized that this is unacceptable for his party. The party also issued an official statement to the same effect, saying that the purpose of the platform was “unclear” and could be used by the “collective United National Movement” to conduct deliberations on the issue of releasing or pardoning ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.
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