
GD Tries to Assuage Supporters After PACE Fail, Says Suspends Work in Assembly
The head of the GD delegation to PACE Tea Tsulukiani said that Georgia was suspending its work in PACE because the conditions set by the Assembly, in particular the holding of new elections, were “not fair” and infringed on Georgian sovereignty. She tried to spin PACE’s decision to grant the delegation conditional credentials as a victory, saying that the opposition had tried but failed to prevent the GD delegation to PACE from ratifying the credentials in the first place. PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos issued a statement shortly afterwards saying that he regretted the decision of the Georgian delegation which “jeopardises the dialogue that could help to advance democratic standards in Georgia.”
PACE ratified Georgian delegation’s partial credentials on January 29 on conditions for new elections, release of “all political prisoners” and “immediate end to police brutality and human rights abuses” among others.
According to the adopted resolution Georgian delegation members would not be full members of several PACE committees, including the election monitoring committees, would not the right to be appointed as rapporteurs or to be candidates for the post of the President of the Assembly, as well as chairmen and vice-chairmen of committees and subcommittees. In addition, their right to represent the Assembly in the bodies of the Council of Europe, international organizations, and inter-parliamentary assemblies has been suspended.
“Despite our credentials being ratified, as of today we are suspending our work in PACE,” Tea Tsulukiani told journalists an hour after the resolution was adopted. She said: “We believe that as long as completely unfair and groundless blackmail against the government elected by the Georgian people continues, evidence and facts are disregarded, discussions are biased and an offensive attitude towards our country is shown, the work of our delegation in the Assembly has neither meaning nor justification.”
“Georgia, of course, remains a member of the Council of Europe, while our delegation members will resume participation in the Parliamentary Assembly only after the unfair attitude towards the Georgian state and people changes, the blackmail stops, and every official or unofficial decision-makers as well as forces behind them duly understand that such a pressure on the Georgian government elected by its population will fail to make the government take any anti-Georgian step,” Tsulukiani added.
Commenting on this later in the evening on pro-government Imedi TV programme GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that “European bureaucracy is in a very difficult state” which, he said is proven by today’s “absurd” decision. Stressing that Georgia remains a member of the CoE he recalled the recent controversial visit to Georgia of the CoE Secretary General Alain Berset and noted: “We had very interesting meeting with CoE president, we agreed on certain issues, and will continue cooperation on these issues.”
Also Read:
- 27/01/2025 – Georgian Delegation Credentials Challenged at PACE Opening
- 25/01/2025 – CoE HR Commissioner Visits Georgia, Concerned About Police Brutality, Lack of Accountability, Repressive Laws
- 20/12/2024 – CoE’s Secretary General: GD Promised to Amend Foreign Agents’ Law
- 20/12/2024 – Secretary General of CoE Visit to Georgia
- 05/01/2025 – Opposition to PACE: Do Not Verify Georgian Dream MP Credentials
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)