Brussels, 20/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to Brussels, where she met Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström, and had a meeting at the European Parliament, Georgia's Minister for Justice Tea Tsulukiani told EUROPE about her country's ambitions and spoke about the preparation for the presidential elections on 27 October (interview conducted by Camille-Cerise Gessant).
Agence Europe: What is Georgia expecting from the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius at the end of November? Do you think you will initial the association agreement?
Tea Tsulukiani: The Georgian government and every Georgian wants the association agreement to be initialled in Vilnius, and for the Vilnius summit to be an incredible success. There is a clear expectation for this summit, but the government's task is not limited to the summit. Once the agreement is initialled, there will be a great deal of work before being able to proceed to signing it. And we will have to make the best use of this period of a few months in order to implement the different rules that are needed.
AE: What does the association agreement represent for the people of Georgia?
TT: It's a strategic choice. Georgia's choice for Europe is a choice of the whole country. It would be wrong to believe that it's a choice of a past or the present government or of a group of politicians. When the government introduces or presents the reforms needed to be able to initial the agreement, the people of Georgia follow these reforms and show a great deal of determination and patience. Whatever the pressure from outside, nothing will be able to make us deviate from this path towards Europe.
AE: Is it therefore out of the question for Georgia to accept Russia's proposal to join the customs union?
TT: It's out of the question for a simple reason - when one makes a choice for Europe, it is impossible to imagine becoming a member of the Eurasian process and participating in it. That's not the choice that we have made. We have made another choice, which goes through the Vilnius summit. Even today, Russia is advancing on Georgian territory and I'm sure that even this will not make us change our minds (…) We are putting the emphasis on a dialogue, or rather on the hope of being able to hold a dialogue - but while progressing on the path that we have chosen.
AE: The EU often recalls the importance of the territorial integrity of Georgia. Can the EU do more to help you?
TT: Of course, the statements that recall the territorial integrity of Georgia help us a great deal, but we want the statements to go further. For example, when we have this border that moves forwards and Georgian villages which (….) are cut into two (…) we would like clear messages to be given to Russia that not everything is allowed.
AE: What reforms does Georgia still have to make in order to initial the association agreement in November?
TT: There don't have to be any new reforms but what is under way needs to be finalised. The anti-discrimination law will go through the expertise of the Council of Europe, and I have asked for an EU expert to examine the draft too. Alongside this, we are going to have another round-table discussion with all the parties, so that we can be as strong as possible when we present the draft to the parliament. Good communication will continue to be necessary until this draft becomes a law. This has to be completed successfully before Vilnius. We also have to finish the adoption of a number of laws that are currently before the parliament - for example, the management of migratory flows. But, generally, we are ready.
AE: And where does Georgia currently stand with regard to visa liberalisation?
TT: Commissioner Cecilia Malmström thinks that we will receive a visit from the delegation at the end of September or beginning of October, which will make an assessment of the first phase. All the questions concerning the management of migration, the way of reducing the number of people who lose their nationality and are stateless, or implementing a new anti-discrimination law, have been widely debated not only in the government but also with civil society. I think that we have made a great deal of progress and we are very much looking forward to the visit of the delegation in order to know what remains to be done to move forward and to be able to begin what is called the second phase.
AE: What reply do you give to the EU regarding possible selective justice?
TT: I'm not worried because the code of criminal procedure allows both the parties - the accused and the prosecutor - to be on a completely equal footing. The judge decides freely today. The first thing I did in relation to my predecessor was to put a clear stop to all pressure from the prosecutors' side on judges. The judges take the decisions. It is not up to me or to anyone else to criticise these decisions. There is no selective justice because when there is evidence the judges take the decisions that are required, and in a number of charges brought against former high level officials from the previous government, the judges have acquitted them. It's a mini revolution that a judge has the courage to acquit someone who was a member of the government because it's a question of affairs that have been highly politicised - whether one likes it or not.
AE: The cohabitation between the government and the opposition is complicated. What is the government doing to improve understanding, and what should be done for the presidential elections to be peaceful?
TT: Cohabitation has been difficult. The president hasn't played the game of cohabitation and it's regrettable. For example, three days ago, although the law says that the minister for justice should examine the requests for Georgian citizenship, the president decided to by-pass the minister and, in one day, granted Georgian nationality to 936 foreigners - without respecting the procedure. He thinks this is good. For me, this is not cohabitation.
This period will very soon come to an end, peacefully. This will be after independence, the first time that the people of Georgia will change presidents thanks to the vote. This will happen in the elections offices and not in the street.
We have the interministerial commission for free elections, which is a rapid reaction group responsible for checking violations of the electoral code by civil servants from local authorities or the central state (…) All the political parties and the NGOs come and join us during the meetings.
The electoral environment is better than it was a year ago. There is no more violence, there is no pressure and there are what I call a small number of “sophisticated issues” [Ed: which do not damage the electoral environment]. (…) We are trying to show the Georgian people that the state and politics are completely different things and we must not use the budget of the state, the police or administrative resources to win an election. The political party must remain different from the state.
AE: How is cooperation with Thomas Hammarberg, the EU adviser on human rights and legal issues?
TT: We have a very close relationship. We quickly established a very useful professional relationship - at least, for me - in very complex and sometimes difficult situations because when one is at the head of reforms, it is never always easy. He has been a great help. We are waiting for his report, which he has already finished. We will have the text of the report at the end of September or the beginning of October at the latest.
AE: And how is your relationship with the European institutions and member states?
TT: Relations are good. We receive a great deal of help on how to move forward with the reforms and this cooperation will enable the Vilnius summit to be a success. This will be the fruit of the cooperation between the EU and a number of member states that are very active (our translation throughout).