“The demands from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe were basic, but the Georgian Dream party overreacted, damaging the relationship,” stated Ana Buchukuri, the Gakharia for Georgia party member.

Buchukuri also noted that the Gakharia for Georgia appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was substantively different from the appeal made by the United National Movement and several other opposition parties.

She emphasized that the position of the Gakharia for Georgia team has always been distinct, stressing the importance of international responses that minimize the impact on Georgian citizens while holding specific individuals accountable.

“In fact, the Georgian Dream caused unnecessary hysteria over basic demands. Specifically, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called for something very simple: don’t beat young children, abolish punitive laws, and schedule new elections to resolve the crisis. But they responded with hysteria, which ultimately damaged the relationship. The Council of Europe was the first international European organization that Georgia joined. By reacting with hysteria, they refused to fulfil basic demands. What were those demands? The Parliament asked to stop violence against youth, to end the oppression of citizens, and to defuse the crisis, recommending new elections. These recommendations were accepted by the Parliamentary Assembly, but due to the overreaction, they issued a statement suspending relations. Is that acceptable? What does it cost us? We’ll have to wait and see what decision is made.

Our representative is not there now, and I can’t comment on the actions of other opposition parties. We know they made a joint appeal, but let’s wait for the outcome. Our position has always been different, especially regarding the appeal to the Assembly. The appeal from the United National Movement and several other parties had a different focus, and I can confirm that. We sent a separate letter with a different message, which is publicly available.

I can’t speak for the other opposition’s intentions. What I can say is that our team’s stance has always been different, especially on the international stage. International responses must focus on holding individuals accountable without negatively affecting Georgian citizens,” said Anna Buchukuri.

On January 29, the Georgian Dream party decided to withdraw from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, although Georgia as a state remains a member of the Council.