EPP President concerned over situation in Georgia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens made a statement on the situation in Georgia.

“Two months have passed since the October 1st Georgian parliamentary elections. Two months have passed since President Mikhail Saakashvili and his party, the United National Movement (UNM), conceded defeat. Two months have passed since President Saakashvili launched and then completed the smooth transfer of power between the former administration and the new one, led by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Mr. Martens said.

“However, since the new administration has taken office, very worrying developments have taken place in Georgia: vindictive statements from Georgian Dream Ministers against UNM leaders, firing of journalists, harassment and prosecution of opposition leaders and representatives. The international community – the European Union, the United States and NATO – have firmly expressed their deep concerns about this very negative evolution and have called on the new government to respect the Georgian constitution as well as democratic standards and fundamental values and freedoms,” he said.

Mr. Martens noted that “despite these strong warnings, the administration of Prime Minister Ivanishvili has not changed its behavior. On the contrary, its undemocratic practices are escalating: harassing systematically the representatives of the United National Movement, undermining institutions they do not control, etc.”

“I believe that time has come to deliver an even stronger message to the Georgian government. Therefore, on behalf of the EPP, I strongly condemn the attacks organized by Georgian Dream activists against the local self-governments held by the United National Movement. I strongly condemn the continuation of the wave of political arrests and prosecutions. I strongly condemn the coercion put on the UNM members of the Parliament - through alleged bribes, investigations launched against their family members, blackmail - in order to make them leave the UNM parliamentary group and, ultimately, construct a constitutional majority,” he said.

“I also condemn in the strongest possible terms, the ridiculous case launched against former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili, who is accused of having used a fake passport to attend, as part of a presidential delegation, the 2nd EPP Eastern Partnership Leaders’ Summit in Yerevan last week, together with the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, the Prime Minister of Moldova, Vlad Filat, and myself.”

“For the sake of Georgia and its people, I call on the government of Prime Minister Ivanishvili to immediately stop the attacks against UNM leaders and representatives, to respect the Georgian constitution, democratic norms, fundamental values and principles and, in particular, the independence of justice. Moreover, I call on the government of Georgia to focus its energy on implementing the manifold campaign promises of the Georgian Dream… I will raise the question on the situation in Georgia during the next EPP Summit of EU and non-EU heads of state and government which will take place next week in Brussels. For this purpose, along with President Saakashvili, I have invited the former Prime Minister and UNM Secretary General Vano Merabishvili, to attend the EPP Summit,” the EPP President concluded.