Christian Danielsson, European Council President’s special envoy will shortly return to Georgia to mediate additional meetings between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) and the opposition parties for finding a solution to the deep political crisis. This comes after previously failed attempts to reach such an agreement - the EU mediated series of meetings, conducted between March 12-18, culminating with the 10-hour-long meeting between the GD and the opposition, ended without a deal. “Some important progress was made on several aspects of President Michel’s six-point plan. However, on other issues, less progress was made, ”noted Christian Danielsson after the meeting. The opposition and the GD representatives have blamed each other for failing to reach the consensus. The parties will now return to the negotiation table.
In parallel with the negotiations mediated by Christian Danielsson earlier this month, Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili visited Brussels, meeting with EU authorities, Charles Michel and Joseph Borel, as well as with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Georgia’s allies have urged the opposing parties to come up with the solution for the existing severe political crisis.
The EU mediation has been initiated by the European Council President on March 1 to diffuse the tensions following the arrest of the opposition leader Nika Melia. Melia’s arrest was preceded by the resignation of the former PM Giorgi Gakharia. In his resignation statement, Gakharia underscored that he had failed to persuade the GD not to detain the opposition leader. The former PM allegedly plans to create a new political party, however the political commentators are less convinced that Gakharia will challenge billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who although having formalistically distanced himself from the GD, remains the informal ruler of Georgia.
The United States has also paid close attention to the developments in Tbilisi, with the US Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation devoting a hearing to the state of democracy in Georgia. Discussing the severe political crisis created in the country, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) stated that “Responsibility for the current crisis facing Georgia, the culmination of several years of increased tensions and failed reforms, is shared by all sides, I believe. The two main political parties, and their leaders, must realize their duty to their country and move past their disagreements.” Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) stressed that “given the current impasse, the only party who is winning is Russia.” “Every day members of the opposition sit in jail is a victory for Russia,” she said. The Senator also stated that Georgia’s commitment to democracy must be demonstrated by both members of the government and the opposition, underscoring that “it is imperative that the government take steps to ensure an independent judiciary, and to work with all opposition parties to find a negotiated resolution to the crisis.”
The State Department Deputy Assistant Secretaries George Kent and Kara McDonald gave testimonies during the hearing. George Kent highlighted that “both the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition have failed to act on opportunities to deescalate.” In his words, the opposition shouldn’t have boycotted the new parliament, as “majority of Georgians who voted for the opposition want the elected MPs to take up their seats.” “This is a pivotal moment in Georgia’s democratic development. As Georgia’s strategic partner and friend, the U.S. must speak frankly when Georgia’s leaders, especially in the ruling party seem to be drifting from the path chosen by the people of Georgia,” he added.
Another State Department official, Kara McDonald of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor asserted that “ruling party’s concentration of power in state institutions, a politicized judiciary, and pressure on civil society – these undermine Georgians’ confidence in their democracy.” According to her, despite the last year’s constitutional and electoral reforms, "a series of negative developments and trends, however, trouble us greatly and urgently call attention to work that remains in protecting and advancing Georgia’s democratic gains.”
In another development, Natalia Sabanadze, head of Georgian Mission to the EU has announced her resignation on Sunday: “it has been a great honor and a responsibility. It has been a mission full of successes as well as challenges and at times moral dilemmas,” Ambassador Sabanadze wrote on Facebook. Later in an interview to French Le Monde, Sabanadze talked about the disagreements with the GD, saying: “All our leaders say they are pro-European, but it is not enough to say it, we must be one.”
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