Parliament Speaker pays first official visit in the role to the US
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Friday, July 19
Within the frames of the first official visit newly appointed speaker of the parliament of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze held meetings with members of the Senators and House of Representatives, State Department and representatives of international organizations in the US.
Within the framework of the visit, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia takes part in the US Congress Democratic Leadership Forum, where the role of Parliament members was discussed in strengthening democracy.
Talakvadze addressed participants of the US Congress of Democratic Partnership Leaders Forum with a speech on Georgian democratic reforms.
He said that last year’s constitutional amendments are of decisive importance for Georgian democracy.
“Georgia is now a parliamentary republic. It was not easy to move from a super-presidential to a more stable parliamentary republic. The existing constitutional structure was insecure and did not have the controls and balance mechanisms between the branches of the government. By constitutional reform, the role of the parliament has increased significantly, which we believe will provide a more stable, result-oriented political system in the future,” explained the Chairman of the Parliament.
Talakvadze emphasized the importance of the decision made by the ruling team on the proportional system of elections in 2020.
“For the first time, in the history of independent Georgia, the government has initiated a significant reform, according to which the electoral system will be fully proportionate. We made this decision for political stability and more legitimacy of the government, which lacked Georgian politics in the last decades,” said the Chairman of the Parliament.
The Georgian Dream ruling party accepted the proportional voting system for the upcoming, 2020 parliamentary elections amid rallies in Tbilisi. The country was otherwise supposed to move to the proportional representation system starting 2024.
In his speech, he also mentioned the occupation of the historical regions of Georgia by the Russian Federation. According to him, Georgia has to resist the Russian attack against independence and territorial integrity daily: “We believe that Russian occupation is only temporary. Our answer is more democracy and more consolidation of success. Our goal is to end this unequal struggle with Russia, with peaceful, yet strong resistance, in victory.”
The First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Tamar Chugoshvili also participated in the Forum. She addressed the forum participants and noting that political polarization is an unhealthy global trend, drew listeners’ attention to its causes in Georgia. According to her, these causes are Russian misinformation/ soft power, radical political forces, and the part of the media that inspires hatred and aggression by spreading false information.
Opposition MP and deputy chairperson of parliament, Sergi Kapanadze is also a member of the parliamentary delegation paying a visit to the US.
MP Kapanadze addressed the forum participants and talked about the ongoing political processes in Georgia and the reaction of its partners. According to him, the main challenge is “informal governance and erosion of democratic institutions,” as well as “violence and vote-buying during the pre-election period.”
As stated by Kapanadze, the main challenge for Georgia is posed by “strengthening of pro-Russian and extremist forces in the country” as well as restriction of freedom of expression in terms of attacking independent media.
In terms of the visit, bilateral meetings were held in the US Senate and House of Representatives. The sides discussed democracy, security, and economics with members of Congress, Gerry Connolly, and Adam Kinzinger, as well as Senators, Martin Heinrich, and Todd Young.
The focus was on the electoral and justice reforms. The importance of an agreement on free trade relations with the US was emphasized as well. One of the main issues of the conversation was the Russian occupation of historic Georgian regions and Russian misinformation as a severe challenge to the country.
The progress achieved in the Euro-Atlantic integration process was positively assessed at meetings with members of Congress and senators. They also noted, that Georgia successfully fulfills its obligations.
Archil Talakvadze thanked the host side for preparation of the bipartisan support of Georgia and talked about the importance of the act. According to his assessment, “Georgia’s Supporting Act,” which is to be voted by Congress, confirms that Georgia is an important strategic partner for the United States.
