Michael Roth, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Parliament (Bundestag), said after meeting the President of Georgia that the European Union could not recognize the elections until they were clarified.
According to him if the statements relating to the elections were not independently investigated, then they would demand individual sanctions against “those who are responsible for voter manipulating and intimidation”.
“We are high ranking parliamentarians from eight different European countries and different political families. I would like to remind you that my party family, the European Social Democratic Party (ESDP), is the party of the ruling party. However, for various reasons we have stopped being members. We are here today because we are deeply concerned about recent elections and antidemocratic politics. The recent Georgian elections were not fair and free. In the majority of polling booths, voting was not done in secret. Voters were intimidated and bribed in large numbers. The supporters of the ruling party undermined the democracy and raised serious questions about the legitimacy and fairness of the elections, which were confirmed by the international observers and Georgian mass media.
We support the calls of President Macron, Premier Tusk and Chancellor Scholz for an investigation into these serious allegations. The Council of Europe, OSCE, and other organizations should intervene, even though an independent investigation is not guaranteed. The EU will not recognize these elections as legitimate until the details are clarified. If these statements do not undergo an independent investigation, we will demand that those responsible for voter intimidation and manipulation be sanctioned individually. Democracy and accountability go hand-in-hand, and anyone who undermines these principles will pay the price,” Roth said.
Roth explained that if the antieuropean trajectory and the undermining the principles of the European Union continues, Georgia’s progress toward the European Union will be suspended.
“We must consider all of our instruments, and also the termination of the Visa-Free regime, which is not only the greatest achievement for you but also for us. But this is a grave situation, and we must put all documents/tools that we have on the table.”
Georgia’s progress toward the European Union will be suspended if the anti-European trend continues, and there is no repeal. Georgia’s policies are incompatible with EU membership. If your government tells that there is pressure on sexual minorities, but also claims to be moving toward the European Union, then it is not true.
We are here to begin an honest and constructive dialog, not only with President Obama, but also with civil society, non-governmental organizations and the opposition. Unfortunately, the government and ruling party were not willing accept us. This is disappointing, because dialogue is very important. Let’s share our opinions if we disagree. Roth said, “This is the essence of Europe and that’s why are here.”
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