**Georgia’s Government Hits Back at Council of Europe Resolution**
The Georgian government has responded strongly to a resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last week. The resolution expressed regret over the country’s decision to reject dialogue with the European organization, and noted that the situation in Georgia had deteriorated.
In an interview, Irakli Kadagishvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy and Self-Government, criticized the opposition for relying on external support to try and undermine the government. “They don’t have the capacity to create anything real within the country,” he said, “so they resort to such types of resolutions from outside, which are tactically used to shake fists after losing a battle.”
Kadagishvili accused European politicians who supported the resolution of being motivated by personal animosity towards the Georgian government. He suggested that they had taken their defeat in last year’s parliamentary elections as a personal insult, and were now trying to provoke confrontation and escalate the situation.
“This opposition has no capacity to create anything real within the country,” Kadagishvili repeated, “so they rely on such resolutions from outside, which are tactically used to shake fists after losing a battle. In reality, this negatively affects the relationship between Georgia and Europe.”
The resolution itself was adopted with 89 votes in favor, 3 against, and 5 abstentions. The text noted that despite PACE’s decision to ratify the credentials of the Georgian delegation, all its members left the delegation, rejecting dialogue and leading to the absence of a Georgian delegation at the Assembly.
**What it means**
The resolution is likely to be seen as a further escalation in tensions between Georgia and Europe. The opposition, which has been struggling to find its feet since last year’s elections, has been trying to use external support to try and undermine the government. However, this approach may ultimately backfire, as it risks damaging Georgia’s relationship with Europe.
As Kadagishvili noted, “the time will come when certain forces will have to answer for why Georgia was made a victim of political blackmail.” It remains to be seen how this situation will develop in the coming weeks and months.
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