Changes in report of European Parliament includes Ivanishvili's influence, Saakashvili's transfer and other cases
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
The Foreign Committee of the European Parliament supported the version of the annual report on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement by Georgia with compromise amendments.
The report was supported by 47 out of 55 deputies.
Giuli Alasania, the mother of the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, also attended the meeting of the committee.
In the critical report, along with other changes, an amendment was made, which refers to Mikheil Saakashvili's health condition.
"The health condition of former President Mikheil Saakashvili is constantly deteriorating, he is still deprived of proper care, which poses a threat to his life," the amendment reads.
In the document of compromise changes, we also read that the European Parliament calls on the Georgian authorities to release Mikheil Saakashvili, give him the right to proper treatment abroad, and thus take a step towards reducing polarization.
In addition, the amendments state that "the court's decision to prosecute the leaders of Lelo, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, and the use of the court verdict to deprive Japaridze of his parliamentary mandate, is a clear demonstration of politicized justice."
In the compromise amendments adopted in the report, the European Parliament recommends that Georgia "systematically solve the problem of excessive influence of personal interests in various spheres of the country's political, economic and public life, especially by implementing structural and regulatory reforms of former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili."
We also read in the report that this is one of the priorities defined by the European Commission, which Georgia must meet in order to receive candidate status.
The European Parliament calls on the Georgian government to "stop politically motivated criminal cases and review cases against journalists, media owners and their family members." The report mentions the case of the director of "Mtavari Channel" Nika Gvaramia, as well as the cases conducted before the founders of "Formula" and "TV Pirveli" television companies.
