Statement by Members of the European Parliament on the Georgian government’s offer of dialogue and the attempt to ban opposition parties

Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus Nils Ušakovs, and European Parliament Standing Rapporteur for Georgia Rasa Juknevičienė have issued a joint statement. They responded to Irakli Kobakhidze's call for political dialogue with the European Union and noted that Europe has never stopped the dialogue, but "Georgian Dream" has stripped it of its substance. POSTV+3

The authors of the statement say that the timing of the offer of dialogue coincides with the consideration of a request to ban five opposition parties in the Constitutional Court. The Members of the European Parliament believe that a government that seeks to declare its political opponents illegal cannot be a credible partner for dialogue. In their assessment, banning political parties would be a decisive step backward toward a one-party system, similar to the examples of Russia and Belarus, which will distance Georgia even further from the European Union. 1TV+7

The Members of the European Parliament emphasize that any restoration of real cooperation must be based on unconditional steps taken by the government, including the release of political prisoners, the repeal of laws restricting civil society and independent media, the cessation of the persecution of the opposition, and a path toward new, free elections. POSTV+3