The Georgian government has every right to refuse President Salome Zurabishvili’s consent to a visit to Brussels, as the ruling team is “afraid” that the president’s visit and statements will harm Georgia’s aspirations toward the European Union, Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, believes.
Thus the government did not give permission for President Salome Zurabishvili to visit Brussels, according to the presidential office.
The President of Georgia is due to address the European Parliament in Brussels on 31 May. Zurabishvili’s visit was originally scheduled for April 18, but was postponed. As the administration later explained, the reason for the postponement was “the process of obtaining consent artificially dragged out by the government.”
“The President should not speculate. What is the connection between Russia’s unilateral resumption of flights and the president’s visit to another country? This is an absolutely incomprehensible comparison, the usual speculation. It’s a pity that the man in office is speculating. All this is regrettable. As for the consent to the visit, this is the exclusive right of the government. If the government believes that the president’s visit will not help Georgia get the candidate status, then the government, according to the constitution, has every right not to give the president consent to the visit,” Kobakhidze said.
According to him, Zurabishvili’s statements directly contradict Georgia’s desire to become a candidate country in December:
“When the president declares that the parliament is only formally implementing the recommendations, no steps are being taken to obtain the status of a candidate, these are discrediting statements. Of course, it is better that the president does not have significant platforms for such defamatory statements, so as not to disrupt the process of obtaining candidate status. The rest is the prerogative of the government to allow or not the president to travel to another country.”
On May 10, the President of Georgia demanded the convening of the Security Council. At a briefing in the presidential administration, Zurabishvili said that consideration should be given to establishing three-month visas for Russians.
According to her, it is necessary for the state to control those Russians who enter the country and stay, it is also necessary to “take some measures” so that all this fits into the normal civilized framework.
According to Salome Zurabishvili, the abolition of the visa regime by Russia and the restoration of direct flights is a provocation that will cause a strong reaction from the public. According to her, the Georgian authorities do not understand that Russia does not return concessions for concessions.
At the same time, the president called on the government to listen to the “voice of the people, not the authorities”:
“I am sure that society is united on this issue. And not only because it can harm obtaining a status, it is against the interests and dignity of Georgia. We must remember who and whose occupied our territories, and also that our country is in solidarity with Ukrainian friends. This is our position, and we must be faithful to it to the end. This is a requirement of society,” Zurabishvili said.
