According to the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell, it’s crucially important that the parliament is discussing two drafts of the amnesty law, which is part of the April 19th agreement.

“There are currently two drafts being in parliament for further consideration. First of all, it’s crucially important that the discussion taking place in parliament is now moving forward with regard to this issue, which is part of the April 19th agreement.

Well, all of these are issues that are currently being discussed and we will see how this will move forward in the coming days all with a view to make sure that we are passing the first hurdles of the implementation of this very important, this crucial agreement, which will then take us further into the important reforms that are being set out in this agreement.

I will not at this point go into commentaries on the different bills as we have them right now. But it’s going to be very important now that through the work in the parliament and discussions between the parties, there is as much as possible movement towards a common understanding on how to make this move forward as quickly as possible,” Carl Hartzell stated.

EU Ambassador also commented on a question regarding bail issue for the imprisoned UNM leader Nika Melia. Hartzell said many issues are currently discussed.

“We will see how this will move forward in the coming days all with a view to make sure that we are passing the first hurdles of the implementation of this very important, this crucial agreement, which will then take us further into the important reforms that are being set out in this agreement,” Carl Hartzell concluded.

The Georgian political parties signed A way ahead for Georgia, a compromise document submitted to the parties by the European Council President Charles Michel, at the Orbeliani Palace on April 19. According to the agreement, the parties address two cases perceived as politicized (Giorgi Rurua and Nika Melia cases), either by an amnesty and/or by taking such steps to produce an equivalent outcome.

Nika Melia addressed the document-signatory parties urging to retract the amnesty bill as considers it inadmissible. Melia was arrested on February 23, 2021. He has been accused of organizing mass violence during anti-government protests in 2019. UNM leader denies the charges.