Brussels, 14/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 13 November, Georgian opposition members from the United National Movement (UNM) party called on the EU to send a strong signal to the Georgian government, alongside ratification of the association agreement.
Giga Bokeria, the international secretary of the UNM, stated that around 100 people linked to the opposition are facing legal proceedings. “The future of Georgia is not only the signature [of the association agreement] but a real and substantial transformation”, he said, adding that the association agreement was a “very symbolic”, “very important” document. “But still more important than the document, there are important criteria inside it - criteria for Georgia's truly European path”, he said.
“We are increasingly concerned, given the political instability, about increasingly selective justice”, said Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (EPP, Poland), reiterating Georgia's commitments that are written into the association agreement. “Detaining political opponents is unacceptable. There are abusive uses of justice. This is contrary to the commitments of the Georgian state”, he continued. Several high level officials from the Georgian ministry of defence were accused of corruption at the beginning of October, the minister for defence (from the Free Democrats party) was dismissed, and several ministers resigned (see EUROPE 11192).
Jacek called on the S&D and ALDE Groups and on the president of the European Parliament to review their position and no longer express their support for the Georgian government. “The most pro-European reformist forces are no longer in government in Georgia. We can no longer consider that Georgia is committed to the EU”, he said. He stated that his party would support ratification of the association agreement but that the support is “not unconditional”. (CG)