Georgian PM, foreign politicians praise the signing of the EU-backed agreement, ex-President Saakashvili calls for the UNM to sign the agreement after Nika Melia is released
By Veronika Malinboym
Wednesday, April 21
“Today, Georgia is a winner. The majority of the Georgian opposition parties signed the EU mediated agreement. We are grateful to the President of the European Commission, EU Delegation to Georgia, and the US Embassy in Georgia. Democracy and Dialogue have prevailed again.”
Many of the Western politicians have also applauded the reaching of the compromise between the ruling party and the opposition bloc. President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda stated in his Twitter post that he welcomed the agreement reached in Georgia:
“Welcome, the achieved political consensus in Georgia! The EU, President of the European Commission and the USA joint mediation efforts proved fruitful. Lithuania supports Georgia's European aspirations and strengthening of democratic values!” read the post.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde expressed a similar sentiment:
“I welcome the agreement between political leaders in Georgia. Encourage those who have not yet signed, to do so. The agreement and its implementation will strengthen Georgia’s democratic development and European integration. Grateful to the President of European Commission for all efforts”, Minister Linde posted on her official Twitter account.
The US Embassy to Georgia released an official statement in which it applauded the signing of an agreement and reinstated the US’s readiness to assist the Georgian Parliament in implementing the agreement in the upcoming months:
“While signing the agreement is a significant step, ending months of negotiations, we recognize that its implementation is equally important. The United States is committed to assisting the Parliament to ensure this agreement achieves its aspirations”, the statement reads.
Similarly, the UK Embassy in Georgia tweeted earlier that it welcomes the resolution of the political crisis in Georgia:
“Welcome progress towards resolution of the political crisis. Call on all political parties who have not yet signed the agreement to have the courage to do so, in the interests of #Georgia’s citizens and the country’s continued Euro-Atlantic progress”.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, as well as the opposition Lelo for Georgia, the Republican party, Citizens alliance, Girchi, Girchi- More Freedom, and Strategy Agamshenebeli have already signed the proposal aimed at solving the political crisis that erupted in Georgia when the results of the October 2020 Parliamentary Elections have been released.
Earlier, the former President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili made a statement in which it called for the United National Movement to sign an agreement and enter the Parliament as soon as the party chairman Nika Melia is released:
“Nika Melia should walk free without any humiliating conditions and without some sort of bail, just like he wishes, because he is being kept there illegally and with no wrongdoing to blame him for. However, once he is out of prison, and so long as all the above-mentioned conditions are kept, I would like to call on the United National Movement to sign this agreement, because with it, in the fall, together with the local self-government elections, it will bring about a kind of a referendum to get the Georgian Dream to abandon its power,” Saakashvili said in his address.
Former President Saakashvili promised that he would visit Georgia in autumn prior to the self-government elections “to be there with the United National Movement.”