The European Union and the United States call on all members of the Georgian Parliament to sign the agreement, which will be proposed today by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
“After nearly six months of negotiations, the citizens of Georgia have made clear that they want the political stalemate to end, and for all elected Members to work together in Parliament and address the serious challenges facing the country, including the regional challenges, COVID-19, and the economic crisis.
“With this in mind, we call on all Members of the Parliament of Georgia to sign the agreement that President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will propose today. This is an agreement all Members should sign in good faith. Unilateral statements undermine achieving the goal of a broad-based agreement.
“The institutional reforms in the agreement represent important progress for Georgia’s democratic development and are of significant benefit for its citizens, helping to create a more independent judiciary, stronger electoral processes and a Parliament that can better reflect the voices of all the people of Georgia.
“Accepting this compromise demonstrates wisdom and a commitment by all parties to put the needs of the citizens of Georgia first, ahead of the interests of any one political party,” reads the joint statement.
Another meeting between the government and the opposition is expected to start at 19:00, where the draft agreement between the sides will be proposed by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The meeting between the representatives of the Georgian Dream and the opposition will be held with the participation of the EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell and the US Ambassador Kelly Degnan.
Georgian opposition parties that obtained mandates in the Parliament of the 10th Convocation believe the 2020 parliamentary elections were rigged by the incumbent government.
They have been demanding snap parliamentary elections and the release of the United National Movement Chair, Nika Melia, and the co-founder of the TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua, as they believe that both of them are political prisoners.
The previous EU-mediated attempts to solve the political crisis in Georgia failed, as none of the political actors agreed on the solution.
By Ana Dumbadze
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