The leader of the For Georgia party, former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, outlined three principles for initiating a new phase of negotiations with Mamuka Khazaradze and the Strong Georgia coalition. According to him, these principles are the establishment of a neutral platform, the fair and equal decision-making process, and the inadmissibility of forming a coalition with either Georgian Dream or National Movement.
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Gakharia says that the phase of negotiations conducted under the "old principles" is over, and if Lelo is ready to discuss the three principles, his party will sign any document.
"What did Khazaradze not agree to? A neutral platform. He said he has invested millions in Lelo, so a neutral platform is impossible due to this and the lack of time," said Giorgi Gakharia.
He explained that a neutral platform means another neutral organization, party, or entity, one that is neither Lelo nor For Georgia, neither 9 nor 25.
"The name of the Lelo party is Lelo for Georgia. Our party's name is Gakharia for Georgia. If we remove the first two words, both parties will be called For Georgia. Ultimately, this is our main goal.
My main mistake was continuing these negotiations after realizing that an agreement on a neutral platform was unachievable. I should have stopped the talks then. Because, in reality, when we talk about future cooperation, the terms must be fair. Today, only a neutral platform can ensure these fair conditions," said Gakharia.
The second principle Mamuka Khazaradze disagreed with, according to Gakharia, was the parity, fair principle of decision-making. "It was said that there are many subjects in the coalition, but the relationship between these subjects remains unclear, both then and now."
"Driven by the country’s interests, which we have always placed above party interests, we gave up everything - our party and party number. Instead of a reciprocal compromise, this made the other side even more demanding and ultimately derailed the negotiations entirely.
So, we return to our original goal and the principles necessary to achieve it. I publicly reaffirm our commitment to the following principles: 1. A neutral platform, which we believe is fair and safe for everyone; 2. The fair, parity principle of decision-making; and 3. The inadmissibility of a coalition with both Georgian Dream and National Movement.
If we are serious about unification and the significant goal of overcoming the country's polarization - most importantly, defeating the Georgian Dream without bringing the National Movement back to power - we need fair, transparent, and predictable principles that everyone can understand. I understand that there is little time before the elections. Uniting two parties is a complex process, but creating a new independent neutral platform is both acceptable and feasible.
I want to thank the President of Georgia, as well as Mamuka Khazaradze. This process has been positive, fostering and strengthening the potential for future cooperation. I will do everything possible to ensure that this current unfortunate outcome does not lead to discouragement.
We will achieve the original goal of these negotiations - protecting the country's European future and overcoming polarization - together, in every case, despite everything," Gakharia concluded.
Negotiations on unification lasted for almost three days before, on September 19, Giorgi Gakharia's party announced that an agreement could not be reached. According to For Georgia, they set aside party interests and made every concession, but "it seems the other side could not reach an internal consensus." Conversely, Mamuka Khazaradze stated that an agreement was reached during the negotiations and that he was ready to sign the agreement on behalf of the Strong Georgia coalition.
