Georgia's president addresses parliament with scathing speech: main talking points
The president of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, presented his annual report to the parliament.
Part of the members of the government, representatives of constitutional bodies, diplomatic corps and religious confessions attended the president’s annual speech.
President on the elections at the local government bodies
Margvelashvili called for political forces to unite before the local government elections to form a powerful group of political actors.
“I am calling for political parties to come closer to the bodies of local government. What we need is a real local self-government. We do need a real self-government. The election system is in need of reform and I myself fully support your consolidation in this respect. The most important factor here is the fact that our society is given a choice by strong political actors. The formation of strong and powerful political players is vitally significant for the Georgian democracy. We need to find unifying ideas and ways to come to each other and offer repeatedly deceived electors/voters a clear choice,” stated Margvelashvili.
About the governing team
“I am looking forward to the time when the winning power starts looking for allies and not enemies. Therefore, I repeatedly offered and offer to again maintain a dialogue and carry out institutional cooperation”.
About presidential elections
“It is inadmissible to deprive people of the right to elect the president,” considers Mergvelashvili. in his opinion, there are enough complex problems in the country requiring a solution and even this is not the main concern of the population. The president considers that the authorities have not been able to cope with multiple social problems so far.
“The Law on Election of the President should not depend on the desire of the present-day or future president, the present of former prime-minister. Instead, it should depend on the needs of the nation and a realistically balanced Constitution. Let’s listen to the people and if we hear their voice, it will be clear that realistic and acute problems remain unsolved, we still failed to build the state in which there will be no homeless people, street children, working underage individuals as well as tens of thousands of youngsters living in extreme poverty, where there are no people suffering from famine or cold and elderly ones enduring the feeling of being desperate and hopeless.”
About economic challenges
In the opinion of the president, places of employment, poverty, increasing prices, limited pensions and an unstable lari remain the main challenges facing the government.
According to Margvelashvili, the indices of economic growth, increase of investments, which the authorities are proud of, will remain simple statistical data unless jobs are created.
“Unfortunately, in reality, the growth of investment in Georgia does not cause equal amount of increase of the amount of jobs,” states the president.
He stressed the fact that it is necessary to extend and enhance those projects which are carried out with the support of the government of Georgia – “Made/Produced in Georgia”, “Start-up Georgia”, “Create Your Future”, etc.
The president insists on making employment security measures stricter
In his speech at the parliament, President Margevalashvili called for the development of minimum employment security standards: “There are frequently reported cases of using overseas workforce by investors due to the significantly lower level of qualification of local personnel. This is why, vocational education in light of market needs has to become of higher priority. It is also essential to start providing safe employment conditions.”
Regarding the court system
Giorgi Margvelashvili called the situation in the court system a ‘crisis’. He repeatedly used this word as part of his speech in which he mentioned the court system.
The president considers that what the Georgian court requires is the assistance of international specialists.
“It is necessary to call for the mission of European experts with high reputation which will reveal exact reasons of the court crisis and assist the country in finding a way out of the current situation.”
In his opinion, judges require greater protection and independence.
Margevlashvili thinks that the complicated situation which the judicial system finds itself in, creates a number of additional significant problems within the country.
“Citizens are vulnerable if they do not have the right to a fair trial. Citizens are vulnerable if their rights are suppressed based on their ethnicity. Citizens are vulnerable when they are persecuted by any distinctive sign and stand humiliation for their sexual orientation. Citizens are vulnerable when they are not adequately protected by law enforcement bodies and are subject to persecution for political or any other sign, when violence is carried out by those who are obliged to protect them and they are unlawfully listened to. State security is vulnerable until each citizen is protected.”
Regarding the situation on occupied territories
President Margvelashvili called the authorities to demonstrate intensive activity along with not carrying out the policy of non-recognition and start ‘The Policy of Anti-Annexation.’
“The Russian Federation is making further steps towards the actual territorial annexation of occupied territories. This is why, it is essential to develop the policy of anti-annexation of occupied territories of Georgia with active participation of partner states and carry out agreed actions with the view of avoiding annexation,” Margvelashvili said.
In his opinion, he states that a “sharp reaction to the emergence of new borderlines and barbed wire should not be delayed as well as limiting teaching the Georgian language in the Gali region schools, kidnapping people and facts of destroying cultural monuments on occupied territories”.
The president addressed the citizens of Georgia living on occupied territories.
“No one could even imagine that the Berlin Wall would fall down and a native person from eastern Germany would become the leader of unified Germany. I hope that the time will come when Georgia breaks down artificially built walls and a citizen of Georgia living on the other side of the wall will become the leader of the country.”
