Georgian Government Rejects President Salome Zourabichvili's Official Visit to Ukraine and 9 Other Countries
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Based on the information from the government administration, President Salome Zourabichvili has been denied official or working visits to 10 different countries recently, including Ukraine. The government has now issued a statement in response to Zourabichvili's planned trip to Germany. The statement clarifies that the president was formally notified of the denial of this visit by the government in a written communication on August 3.
As per the government's explanation, the constitution stipulates that the president's involvement in foreign relations requires approval from the government, as outlined in the relevant constitutional article. Furthermore, according to Article 54 of the constitution, the responsibility for implementing the nation's foreign policy lies within the jurisdiction of the Georgian government.
"We wish to address the information that has been circulated by the presidential administration in relation to the planned visit of the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, to the Federal Republic of Germany. On July 12, 2023, the President's administration submitted a proposal concerning the aforementioned visit to the Government of Georgia. However, the proposal was officially declined in writing on August 3, 2023, in accordance with the relevant article of the Constitution of Georgia.
Furthermore, formal written refusals were extended to the President for work visits to several destinations: August 22-24 for Ukraine, September 16 for the Swiss Confederation, October 2-3 for the Republic of Poland, October 4-6 for the Kingdom of Belgium, October 31 to November 2 for the Kingdom of Denmark, and December 1-2 for the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, official visits to the Republic of Bulgaria (September 27-29), the Czech Republic (December 10-12), and the State of Israel (December 18-20) were also denied in written form.
It is important to remind President Salome Zourabichvili that, as stipulated in Article 52, Clause 1, Sub-Clause 'a' of the Constitution of Georgia, her authority to engage in representative activities related to foreign relations is contingent upon the approval of the Government of Georgia. This limitation is aligned with the provisions of Article 54, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which designate the execution of the country's foreign policy as the prerogative of the Government of Georgia," reads the statement issued by the administration.
On August 30, the President's administration announced that Salome Zourabichvili would commence meetings with European leaders to advocate for the granting of EU candidate status to Georgia. As per the administration's information, the inaugural meeting is scheduled for August 31 in Berlin, and it will involve the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
