Georgia Should Be Able to Play Their Full Role in the Council of Europe

Plenary chamber of the Council of Europe

The parliamentary elections held in Georgia at the end of October met the expected democratic standards, and therefore the conservatives and patriots considers it important to accept the mandate of the new Georgian Parliament’s delegation to the Council of Europe, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly said in Strasbourg.

Speaking at the week-long winter session of the 46-member Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Zsolt Németh, President of the European Conservatives, Patriots and Affiliates Group, said that the Assembly questioned the ratification of the mandate of the new Georgian Parliament’s delegation to the Council of Europe.

We, the European Conservatives, Patriots and Affiliates Group, are strong supporters of the granting of the mandate of the members of the Georgian parliamentary delegation without any restrictions, as we believe that the elections in Georgia have met the expected democratic standards,”

he emphasized.

Zsolt Németh recalled that the group was concerned about the violence in Georgia and its escalation, as well as the internal political crisis that has been affecting the country since the elections.

Fact

In October last year, Georgia held parliamentary elections, which the ruling Georgian Dream party won by a landslide. During the campaign period, the ruling Georgian Dream Party was frequently attacked from the West for its anti-LGBTQ propaganda and pro-sovereignty reforms. In the end, the foreign pressure failed as Georgians gave the conservative, pro-peace government a near two-thirds mandate.

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At the same time, he pointed out that the Strasbourg organization could lose another Caucasus country. Zsolt Németh reminded that Azerbaijan announced last February that it might withdraw from the Council of Europe because of the organization’s hostile attitude towards them. This, he said, would be extremely damaging for Europe as a whole, for the international community and for the Council of Europe itself.

Dialogue must be maintained, and the best way to do that is for Georgia’s parliamentarians to be able to play their full role here in the Council of Europe,”

he underlined.

The politician informed that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had ratified the Georgian mandate on Wednesday by 113 votes to 13 with 7 abstentions, but with conditions and restrictions. Accordingly, PACE delegates from Georgia have the right to vote and to speak, but cannot participate in certain committees, nor can they take part in election observation missions, nor can they act as rapporteurs or represent the Assembly. Although the conservatives and patriots considered it important to reach a compromise on the mandate, they did not support its adoption because of the restrictions imposed, Zsolt Németh emphasized.

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili wrote on X that even though the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized their delegation’s credentials, they are withdrawing from the Assembly.

Despite the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe @PACE_News having recognized the credentials of our delegation, Georgian Parliament is withdrawing its delegation from the Assembly until PACE returns to its original values. Disrespect towards the democratic will of the… pic.twitter.com/ALfyO7SAVq

— Shalva Papuashvili (@shpapuashvili) January 29, 2025