Speaker: CoE should explain how funding a radical politician’s political project aligns with the promotion of civil dialogue, given that it is funding a politician who rejects election results

The Council of Europe is funding a meeting organized by Armaz Akhvlediani in Bakhmaro resort and portrays it as a civil dialogue promotion project,” said Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

According to the Speaker, the CoE should explain how funding a radical politician’s political project aligns with promoting civil dialogue. He urged for alknowledging the scale of the Bakhmaro “scandal” regadless of whether or not the CoE violated the law.

“The Council of Europe is funding a meeting organized by Armaz Akhvlediani in Bakhmaro and portrays it as a civil dialogue promotion project. The case has to do with the politician who was an MP of the 2020 convocation parliament on the list of UMN Bokeria’s faction and participated in the 2024 parliamentary elections under dictator Saakashvili’s party list.

Two years ago, on the night of Election Day, he declared that Ivanishvili’s regime was defeated. Yet, brazenly ignoring this, it declared victory through the compliant CEC. All four victorious opposition parties are now duty-bound to prevent the “Russian Dream” from usurping power. Previously, it had also refused to recognize the 2020 elections.

The CoE should explain how funding a radical politician’s political project aligns with the promotion of civil dialogue and which message it sends to society, given that it is funding a politician who rejects election results and declares the government a Russian regime. It is obvious that such support only fuels political radicalism and extremism and undermines the impartiality and credibility of the Council of Europe itself,” writes Papuashvili.