“If, for example, the government deems that the visit of the president can jeopardize the prospect of EU candidacy, it has the full constitutional right not to give consent to the visit,” stated Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the Georgian Dream, regarding the statement by the Administration of the President, according to which, the government, which immediately greenlit direct flights with Russia, has not yet approved Salome Zurabishvili’s visit to Brussels.
News
Trending stories
- 1 Protests Erupt in Abkhazia Over Russia-Favored Law, Opposition Members Arrested
- 2 Edison: 13% Discrepancy Between Exit Polls and CEC Results Suggests Manipulation
- 3 Kobakhidze: German Chancellor Should Be More Concerned About His Own Problems
- 4 US-Sanctioned Russian Propagandist Present in Georgia During Elections
- 5 President’s Lawsuit on Elections Registered by Constitutional Court
- 6 Judge of Tetritskaro Annuls Results of 30 Precincts Over Vote Secrecy Violations
Kobakhidze labeled the statement of the administration as mere speculation and said that it is better, Zurabishvili not be given a wider platform for making statements that hurt the chances for the candidate’s status.
“We fear that the president’s visit may undermine our pursuit towards candidacy. You heard the statements the president made in the parliament. You can agree that these statements go against Georgia’s desire to receive the status in December. The government may or may not grant approval, that’s its prerogative and beyond just me, but I can understand its trepidation regarding the president’s statements.
We all heard her damaging statements. When the president declares that the parliament is only formally fulfilling the recommendations and is in fact taking countersteps away from receiving the status, this is detrimental,” Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.
Salome Zurabishvili is scheduled to speak in the European Parliament on May 31. According to the Administration of the President, they received a letter of invitation from EP president Roberta Metsola on April 27 and inquired with the parliament for approval on the same day.
Zurabishvili was supposed to give the speech on April 18 but postponed her visit days earlier. The administration of the President explains that this was due to the government artificially protracting the approval process. The Government Administration denied this accusation and claimed they sent back a written approval on April 13.
In her March 31 speech in the Parliament of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili firmly criticized the Georgian Dream and stated that “with its erratic steps, the government has been going against the country’s foreign goals and people’s mandate.”
