Samadashvili: Resetting Relations with the West Means Restoring Democracy

"Strong Georgia - Lelo" leader Salome Samadashvili responded to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement on the "360 Degrees" program on Palitranews. Speaking about the European Parliament resolution, Kobakhidze said: "When we meet with representatives of the European Commission, they tell us directly that we should pay less attention to the European Parliament".

Samadashvili also responded to a statement by the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. Papuashvili said: "It is better to be a candidate country only on paper than a state only on paper!" According to Samadashvili, a state is on paper only when the country serves Russia and not its own people.

She said that Georgian Dream considers its own voters to be fools, and that no one in the country's political history has held such an attitude. Samadashvili says the government is troubled by the fact that the majority of voters, including those who voted for Georgian Dream in previous elections, have made a choice that the country's future lies in the European Union.

Samadashvili said that the European Commissioner for Enlargement stated that Georgia's accession is only on paper. In her explanation, the state is a country on paper because it cannot pursue a sovereign foreign policy. Otherwise, Georgia would be a leading country in the accession process.

On the role of the European Parliament, she noted that this institution is often an icebreaker for making important decisions for the country. As examples, she named the Association Agreement, free trade with the EU, visa-free travel and candidate status. According to Samadashvili, resolutions on all these issues were first adopted by the European Parliament, because political consensus is easier to reach there than in the European Council. Several resolutions were often needed before Georgia reached the expected positive decision.

On the expected sanctioning of Georgian Dream leaders, Samadashvili said that sanctions by the EU against representatives of the Georgian government are the only right form of policy. In her view, she herself demands fair, democratic and free elections, and sanctions are not needed for that. According to this resolution, all political forces in the EU agree that the regime governs Georgia.

Samadashvili also noted that the removal of more than 200 people from the US sanctions list and leaving Ivanishvili on it is a clear signal that the lever lies with those who decided to abolish the democratic process in Georgia. According to her, the only way to reset relations with the West is to fulfill specific demands: the issue of political prisoners, the review and repeal of repressive legislation, and the return of the democratic process.