The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, held a meeting with the Georgian Dream Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Berset posted an information about their meeting, but what issues the parties discussed is unknown.
Neither Berset nor the Georgian Dream have published relevant information.
So far, The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has met with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, while today he is holding a meeting with representatives of the opposition and civil society.
After Irakli Kobakhidze’s meeting with Alain Berset, the administration of the Georgian Dream government issued a statement, which noted that the meeting focused on the fruitful cooperation between Georgia and the Council of Europe, as well as the ongoing processes in the country.
“We had a very friendly, productive meeting. We talked about the ongoing processes in the country, the cooperation between Georgia and the Council of Europe. We agreed that close cooperation between our country and the Council of Europe will continue. We have been connected by very close cooperation since the 1990s. It is in our interest that this cooperation continues as actively as possible. The Secretary General’s role in this is special, and we are confident that our country will have the personal support of Mr. Alain Berset in all directions,” Irakli Kobakhidze said after the meeting.
Kobakhidze claimed that the meeting discussed the decision of Dream to suspend the European integration process until 2028.
“We explained the reasons for the decision. As for the reaction, he should speak about it himself, if he wishes,” Kobakhidze said.
Alain Berset himself has not made a statement since arriving in Georgia. However, the Council of Europe issued a statement before the visit, noting that the visit is taking place in conditions of political and social tension, accompanied by extreme polarization of the political discourse and the facts of violence that have occurred in recent weeks.
They claimed that the goal of the visit is to ensure “the necessary conditions for the continuation of cooperation between the Council of Europe and Georgia, in full compliance with the values and principles of the organization.”
