UNM member asks for Gov’t support
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, July 1
A member of the opposition United National Movement, Gigi Tsereteli, says the Government of Georgia should not damage state interests and should support his candidacy as the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE (OSCE PA).
The European People’s Party (EPP) raised Tsereteli’s candidacy for the position, as the term of the incumbent Finish official Ilkka Kanerva expires this summer.
Georgian Dream (GD) lawmakers are not sure they will vote for Tsereteli at OSCE-PA, as they believe Tsereteli is a part of the UNM’s “criminal regime” which was defeated by the Georgian Dream coalition in the 2012 parliamentary elections.
“He shares the responsibility for all the illegalities that took place under the previous state leadership as he still serves as a UNM party member. Herewith, he is a flexible politician and I am not sure he will promote Georgian interests in the organisation,” GD lawmaker Nukri Kantaria said.
“Georgian authorities should have adequate positions and should not damage the country's reputation,” Tsereteli said in response to such statements.
Meanwhile, President Giorgi Margvelashvili believes Georgian lawmakers should be supportive of Tsereteli when the election takes place.
“Tsereteli is one of the most experienced parliamentarians and is oriented towards achieving a consensus on the basis of common interests,” Margvelashvili said.
“I believe that he will be a valuable figure for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,” the President added.
Members of the UNM also urged the Government to support Tsereteli.
“GD should stand above its narrow party interests,” UNM representative Elene Khoshtaria said.
The OSCE PA is an institution of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The primary task of the 323-member Assembly is to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.
