The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, said there is a “lack of dialogue” among Georgia’s political actors following a series of meetings during his visit to the country.
Speaking to journalists after talks at the Georgian Government Administration, Sampietro said the issue of political polarization and communication between the authorities and opposition was raised during discussions with several leaders, including Irakli Kobakhidze, Mikheil Kavelashvili, Shalva Papuashvili, as well as opposition representatives.
“We raised the issue of the lack of dialogue with the Prime Minister, the President, the Parliament Speaker, as well as with the opposition. I must say there is a lack of dialogue,” Sampietro said.
Sampietro noted that the visit follows months of engagement by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly with political actors in Georgia.
“The Parliamentary Assembly has been working closely with all actors in Georgia over the past six to seven months. These conversations have been confidential and very frank,” he said.
The meetings held during the visit were the result of that ongoing dialogue, he added.
“We managed to meet with almost all opposition parties, but also with the Prime Minister, the President, the Foreign Minister and the Parliament Speaker. We raised all the issues.”
Sampietro said the discussions focused on several key concerns, including the boycott of political processes, political tensions and incidents of violence.
“Allow me to say that we raised the issues of lack of dialogue, boycott and violence. This organization condemns all forms of violence, but democratic systems must also protect citizens’ rights,” he said.
Georgia has experienced heightened political polarization in recent years, with tensions between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition groups leading to repeated parliamentary boycotts and political standoffs.
Sampietro also said he urged Georgian authorities to consider the release of certain prisoners connected to political activity.
“We told the Prime Minister and the Parliament Speaker that one step they should take is, at a minimum, to consider the release of prisoners who have served at least 50% of their sentence,” he said.
Asked whether those individuals should be considered political prisoners, Sampietro said it was not his role to make that determination.
“I will not say whether they are political prisoners or not. I will say that they are in prison because they were engaged in political activity,” he stated.
The OSCE official also suggested that communication between the government and opposition often occurs indirectly through international organizations.
“In my opinion, we have a separate dialogue with opposition parties, civil society and also with the government. They talk to each other through us,” he said.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been closely monitoring political developments in Georgia as the country navigates ongoing democratic reforms, electoral issues and tensions between the government and opposition.
International organizations have repeatedly urged Georgian political actors to reduce polarization and strengthen democratic dialogue, particularly as the country seeks closer integration with European institutions.
