Parliamentary delegation of Georgia addresses Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe
Friday, January 31
The Parliamentary Delegation headed by Irakli Kobakhidze participates in the PACE session in Strasbourg.
During the session, the agenda enshrined the debates on recognition of authority for the Russian Delegation.
Consequently, the PACE did not uphold the proposal by representatives of Ukraine and its partner countries to limit the authority of the Russian delegation rather restored it to its full extent.
As the Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Kakha Kutchava stated, this decision was not completely unexpected, since it was preceded by the decision of the Council of Ministers, which was in fact a prerequisite for such developments. However, as he said, the Georgian delegation and their partners, did not spare efforts to limit the authority of the Russian delegation.
“Today's decision was preceded by a decision of the Council of Ministers, which was in fact a prerequisite for this to happen, and we knew that. However, we tried our best. We believe to have done well in echoing our assessments together with our Ukrainian partners and friend states of Georgia. I am convinced that this is just the beginning and we will make their work even more difficult. We will try our best to disquiet them in their work at PACE”, Kakha Kutchava noted.
According to the Head of the Georgian Delegation, Irakli Kobakhidze, the expectation was that the Assembly would make a decision on the return of Russia, but it was important for the Delegation to once again clearly express the position on the issue.
“It was important for us to send a message that the Russian Federation has violated the basic principles of international law related to the occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and annexation of the Crimea. These are the most blatant violations that one can imagine when talking about the principles of international law. Among others, the Baltic colleagues and our Ukrainian counterparts were most actively involved in the process of introducing our positions regarding Russia”, noted Kobakhidze.
Kobakhidze also responded to the report on the situation in Georgia and noted that it is important that the report focuses on the positive changes that are taking place in the country.
“It is quite logical that the main focus of this report is on the issues that are of the utmost importance to us. Obviously, the focus is on electoral issues, electoral system, and a discussion will naturally take place in this regard. We will inform our colleagues that the consultations are continuing and hopefully will not stop because of the opposition's strides. As for judges and judicial reform, there has been a focus on positive change, primarily on the fourth wave of judicial reform, and a recommendation that additional legislation should be revised in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. Naturally, we will continue our consultations with the PACE on all these issues", Kobakhidze noted.
The Parliamentary Delegation headed by Irakli Kobakhidze is composed of Kakha Kutchava and the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Irakli Beraia.
