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• It is in our interest that the national interests of the country, which are related to the occupied territories, are reflected as much as possible in all documents of the Council of Europe

  STRASBOURG. It is in our interest that the national interests of the country, which are related to the occupied territories, are reflected as much as possible in all documents of the Council of Europe, - Chairman of the "Georgian Dream" party, Irakli Kobakhidze said in connection with the opening of the autumn session of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

  According to him, in addition to participation in the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, bilateral meetings with Georgian partners from different countries are planned.  

  "Such formats are very important to deepen relations with partners in both bilateral and multilateral formats, and this format shall be used maximally for this purpose. It is in our interest that the national interests of our country related to the occupied territories and the situation there are reflected as much as possible in all documents of the Council of Europe. Naturally, the situation is complicated in the region and at this time it is most important that our national interests should be emphasized maximally to our partners", Irakli Kobakhidze said. 

  Remind you that the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is holding in Strasbourg from 10 to 14 October.

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe by videoconference on Thursday.

  There will also be addresses by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, as well as the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.

  Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s European Affairs Minister, will present the Communication from the Committee of Ministers in the framework of the Irish Presidency of the Council of Europe.

  The Organization’s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will hold the usual question time with PACE members.

• Teimuraz Janjalia has met with the Czech ambassador to Georgia

  On 27 July 2022, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teimuraz Janjalia held a meeting with the Czech Ambassador to Georgia, Petr Mikiska.
  At the meeting with the deputy minister, the ambassador presented the program and priorities of the Czech presidency in the Council of the European Union. The program of the presidency includes strategic directions for the European Union, among which is the strengthening of engagement with our region and specifically with Georgia in all the key areas that ensure the country's further integration into the European Union.
  During the meeting, the sides emphasized Georgia’s successful European integration process, which is in an intensive phase. The deputy minister provided the ambassador with detailed information on the multifaceted work that is going on in the country for fulfilling the recommendations of the European Commission.
  The sides also discussed the geopolitical context in the region, Russia's military aggression in Ukraine and its impact on the countries of the region. They discussed Georgia’s role in defining alternative transport/energy routes and the need for greater involvement of the European Union in ensuring connectivity, including by fully exploiting the potential of the Black Sea.
  The sides agreed to continue active cooperation on topics including high-level events planned within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
  The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union covers a six-month period from 1 July  to 31 December 2022.

  MFA of the Georgia

• The Czech Republic's assistance for Georgia's European integration will be especially significant - Shalva Papuashvili

  The Speaker, H.E. Shalva Papuashvili, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Georgia, H.E. Petr Mikiska, to discuss the effective bilateral cooperation between Georgia and the Czech Republic.
  Shalva Papuashvili thanked the Czech Republic for its unwavering support for Georgia's territorial integrity and European aspirations.

  The sides discussed Russian aggression in Ukraine.

  Georgia's strong support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people was reiterated by the Speaker.

  The Speaker went into great detail about Georgia's EU membership application, noting that work is currently being done to complete the questionnaire supplied by the European Commission.

  The Czech Republic's assistance for Georgia's European integration, according to Shalva Papuashvili, will be especially significant when the Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2022.

  The two parties discussed the upcoming visit of the President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic to Georgia, emphasizing the significance of developing bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

• Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine

  Strasbourg, 08.03.2022 – The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, have made the following statement:

  “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, an unjustified military attack of one member State of the Council of Europe against another member State. We reiterate our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.

  On 25 February 2022, following an exchange of views with the Parliamentary Assembly, the Committee of Ministers decided to suspend the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 8 of the Statute and reaffirmed the principles to which we are unanimously committed, in particular respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. The Committee also called on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations in Ukraine.

  We call on the Russian Federation to implement the interim measures indicated by the European Court of Human Rights on 1 and 4 March 2022. The right to life must be respected and guaranteed. In this respect we call on the Russian Federation to refrain from military attacks against civilians and civilian objects, to ensure the safety of medical establishments, personnel and emergency vehicles, to ensure unimpeded access of the civilian population to safe evacuation routes, healthcare, food and other essential supplies, as well as to ensure rapid and unconstrained passage of humanitarian aid and movement of humanitarian workers.

  The Council of Europe also reiterates its call upon Russian authorities to comply with the principles and values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law which our Organisation represents on its own territory. The Russian Federation must guarantee to all persons under its jurisdiction the rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to liberty and security, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

  We once again call on the Russian Federation to stop its aggression, return to the path of diplomacy and fully recommit to European values. We will continue to follow the situation closely and remain committed to taking further measures.”

• PACE rapporteurs call upon all political forces to overcome extremely polarised political climate

  Strasbourg, 17.12.2021 - Following their visit to the country from 8 to 10 December 2021, the  rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the Monitoring Procedure in respect of Georgia, Mr Titus Corlatean (Romania, SOC) and Mr Claude Kern (France, ALDE),  expressed their serious concern about the extremely polarised political climate in the country which is foreclosing any political co-operation and dialogue. This is undermining the political stability  and democratic consolidation of the country, putting at risk the considerable  progress made by Georgia in this respect over the years. The rapporteurs emphasised that democratic consolidation and Euro-Atlantic integration are the shared responsibility of all political forces in the country and therefore urged them, in particular the two largest parties, Georgian Dream and the United National Movement, to place the common good of the nation over any narrow party-political strategies.

  The rapporteurs noted that the October 2021 local elections had, as they had feared, been  a de facto plebiscite on the ruling majority, and had resulted in an increasingly harsh and contentious electoral environment.  That said, they welcomed that, as a result of the consensual reform of the electoral code earlier this year, the legal framework for elections had considerably improved, which had benefited the organisation of the election process . At the same time they expressed their concern about the many reports of abuse of administrative resources and pressure on voters, as well as incidents of violence. They called upon the authorities to fully and transparently investigate, and where necessary address,  all allegations and reports of electoral misconduct.

  The establishment of a genuinely  independent and impartial judiciary that has the full trust of Georgian citizens is an essential condition for the further democratic consolidation of the country. Recognising  the progress made in this respect, the rapporteurs urged the authorities to conduct the comprehensive and independent evaluation of the third and fourth wave that was agreed upon in the Michel agreement. Such an comprehensive evaluation, which needs to be conducted independently to ensure public trust, should identify areas of success as well as remaining shortcomings and should guide future reforms. The rapporteurs felt that the Venice Commission should play an important role in such an independent evaluation. In this respect the rapporteurs deeply regretted that the parliament had continued to appoint new Supreme Court judges, despite the calls from the international community not to..  For the rapporteurs this also underscores the need for further reform of the High Council of Justice, whose functioning remains an obstacle for the establishment of a genuinely independent and trusted judiciary.

  On the occasion of their visit the rapporteurs also focussed on developments with regard to  minorities  in Georgia. In this respect they welcomed that  the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on National Minorities had noted the greatly improved legal framework for national minority and anti-discrimination issues. However, the rapporteurs underscored the need,  expressed by the Advisory Committee to further strengthen the quality of education for minorities as well as minority language education, and urged the authorities to do this as a priority. With regard to LGBTI issues, the rapporteurs expressed their concern about the increasing public expressions of homophobia and intolerance towards the LGBTI community. In this context they condemned the violent attacks and counter demonstrations that had occurred during Gay Pride Week in July 2021. The rapporteurs  urged the authorities to fully investigate these violent actions, and bring perpetrators to justice, including with regard to the organisers of these  violent actions and those forces enticing them.

  The rapporteurs will present their report on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia to the Assembly in the first half of 2022. 

  PRESS RELEASE
  of the PACE Communication Division