Georgia: opposition rights need to be respected

Commenting on the situation in Georgia following a meeting of the EURONEST Committee on Political Affairs in Georgia, EPP Group Vice-Chairman Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Krzysztof Lisek MEP and Joachim Zeller MEP said: "The Georgian Dream Party of Prime Minister Ivanishvili must respect the rights of the opposition. The democratic standards and the rule of law cannot be compromised. Those who lost political power in the elections have not lost their rights. Opposition politicians cannot be politically intimidated with unjustified interrogations, detentions, physical and verbal assaults, or by threats to family members. We encourage Georgian Dream to engage in open dialogue with the opposition, as only this may guarantee Georgia's progress towards the EU and Euro-Atlantic cooperation."

Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Co-Chairman of the EURONEST Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy, said: "We received assurances from the representatives of Georgian Dream, with whom we met during our visit to the country, that European integration is their political priority. I am glad that the will of Georgian society and their pro-European choices are being taken into account by the Georgian Dream Party. However, the progress in negotiations on the Association Agreement and Free Trade deal between Georgia and the EU is not automatic. The EU will not compromise on basic values such as democracy, rule of law, fundamental freedoms including free and independent media and judiciary. Respecting the rights of democratic opposition is one of them."

"Recent political events and the wave of elections in the Eastern neighbourhood demand the same attention the EU has given to southern countries. But it is up to the Eastern European countries to prove that they are able to solve political conflicts in a democratic way, respecting the rule of law and thus proving the democratic transition. Only by proving this would they become reliable partners for the European Union", said Joachim Zeller MEP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

"Georgia shall not go down the Ukrainian path of not respecting the order between legislative, executive and judiciary branches. The responsibility for the European way of Georgia is now in the hands of the ruling coalition. But I am optimistic that the political cohabitation between the Government and the President will eventually normalise and that the rule of law will again be respected by the Government. It is crucial to keep constitutional order in Georgia", said Krzysztof Lisek MEP, European Parliament Rapporteur for Georgia.

The EPP Group in the European Parliament will continue to closely monitor the political developments and fulfilment of the promises by the Georgian Dream Party to respect opposition rights in Georgia.