Georgia can expect positive assessments over visa-liberalisation
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Wednesday, December 9
Parliament Chairman Davit Usupashvili thinks that the problems facing the world today will not have a negative impact on Georgia’s EU integration process; on the contrary, they "may even accelerate the process”.
The Parliament Chairman made the statement during a meeting with journalists accredited to Parliament on December 8.
He discussed the pending visa liberalization report of the European Commission and noted that as per preliminary information, the document will be favourable for Georgia.
"We are waiting for the European Commission's report on visa liberalization next week. According to preliminary data, this report will be favourable for us.
“We are very familiar with the attitudes in the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European states, and believe that the current problems related to migration processes and terrorist threats will not negatively affect Georgia's EU integration process; on the contrary, they may even accelerate the process,” Usupashvili said.
The Parliament Speaker also commented on recent speculations that Irma Inashvili’s non-parliamentary opposition party, the Alliance of Patriots, might join the Georgian Dream coalition and that the Republicans might quit the union.
“Coalitions are formed not only on the basis of unity of ideas and visions, but also on the basis of tolerating each other,” Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili said in response to MP Levan Berdzenishvili's statement according to which there are people in Georgian Dream who want to see Irma Inashvili and her party in the coalition instead of the Republican Party.
"I can confirm that there are people in the coalition who prefer other parties over the Republican Party. The coalition is composed of parties and thousands of party members and activists, who naturally all have different opinions.
“Coalitions are formed not only on the basis of unity of ideas and visions, but also on the basis of tolerating each other. Therefore, I cannot see any special things going on inside the coalition. I cannot recall any alliance or electoral bloc with healthier relationships than in this coalition,” he said.
However, the official refrained from answering a question about the coalition’s agreement for the 2016 parliamentary elections.
Usupashvili said that such agreements required detailed discussions with political partners which have yet to take place.
