“Boycotting parliamentary activities does not help democracy function. We ask everybody to put the interests of the Georgian people first and find a compromise,” the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell, stated at a joint press conference in Brussels.

Georgia-EU Association Council convened in Brussels on Tuesday. Josep Borell called all Georgian political actors to consider the consequences of the current situation.

The sixth meeting of the Georgia-EU Association Council has been held on Tuesday in Brussels, Belgium.  Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili and his governmental delegation participated in the session. Georgian PM, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell, and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, gave a joint press conference after the sitting.

“We have met within the Council of the Association Agreement, which in itself is very important. Additionally, it has taken place in a vital moment for your country. Since after the parliamentary elections in the autumn, the EU has repeatedly said that all political actors need to find common ground and look for a way forward from the current political situation. This is especially important at a moment when Georgia must address the coronavirus pandemic and move forward with a wide-reaching reform agenda that has to include electoral reform and judicial reform.  It’s for the government, the elected, to provide inclusive leadership.

Let me stress in the presence of the Prime Minister. The special responsibility rest with the ruling party and the government to find the way forward. Also, boycotting parliamentary activities is not helpful for the functioning democracy, for political pluralism. By boycotting the parliament we can not look for a solution in the framework of political pluralism. All party, all political actors in Georgia must look at the wider consequences of the current situation, and we ask everybody to put the interests of the Georgian people first and find a compromise,” Josep Borell stated.