Carl Hartzell: Many friendly countries are wondering where Georgia is going

Carl Hartzell: Georgia’s friends are concerned about it

Many friendly countries are wondering where Georgia is going and what its next steps will be, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell has stated at a meeting with 4 non-governmental organizations.

“Today we have gathered to discuss the April 19 agreement and what has been done during this period. Although a long time has passed, it is still a very important and topical discussion, we need to consider the steps that need to be taken.

Many of Georgia’s friendly countries are asking where the country is going and what its next step will be. The April 19 document is a guide to EU integration. It’s a very legitimate question – if not this way, then how? There have been issues that have not been resolved, such as the reform of the judiciary, as well as constitutional changes. It is very important that these commitments are met”, said Carl Hartzel.

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On April 19, 2021, the Georgian Dream and part of the opposition parties signed a document created through the mediation of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, which provided for the entry into the opposition into parliament, as well as electoral and judicial reforms.

The agreement also stipulated that if the government received less than 43% of the vote in the self-government elections, it would meet the main demand of the opposition and call early parliamentary elections.

On July 28, the Georgian Dream annulled the document, and Kobakhidze, then chairman of the Georgian Dream, said that the opposition was to blame for it. He said the document was being annulled because it had not been signed by all opposition parties, including the United National Movement, the country’s largest opposition force.

The chairman of the ruling team did not say anything about the criticism of the government from international partners for not fulfilling the provisions of the agreement – suspending the appointment of judges for life until judicial reform in the country was carried out.