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President will deliver his national address in February

By Messenger Staff
Wednesday, January 13
President Giorgi Margvelahsvili will address nation from the legislative body in February.

The President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, will deliver his annual speech in February before national lawmakers, at the beginning of the spring session of Parliament.

The exact date of the address will be announced by the Parliament Bureau.

It will be President Margvelashvili’s third annual address since his election as the President of Georgia in October 2013.

In his annual addresses, the President touches on all state important issues.

The spring session opens on February 2.

Since his being elected as the President of Georgia in 2013, Margvelashvili has appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Prime Minister to attend his annual speeches in the legislative body.

However, the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibahsvili, did not attend any of the addresses.

The main reason for this was that the Georgian Constitution changed, and the President ceased to be the major political figure in the country. As a result, it was not necessary for the Prime Minister and the Ministers to attend the speech.

However, this has been considered controversial, and the Prime Minister and the Ministers have been criticized for their absence.

Garibashvili’s lack of attendance was also seen as a sign of the poor relations between the two state leaders.

This year, Georgia has a new Prime Minister in Giorgi Kvirikahsvili, who is described by analysts and politicians as more “balanced” and “diplomatic” than his predecessor.

Margvelashvili’s annual speech will indicate whether his relationship with the Prime Minister will improve now that Garibashvili has been replaced. It would undoubtedly help if the Prime Minister breaks the habit of his predecessor and chooses to attend the annual address.

Such a step will only improve the state image in the eyes of Georgia’s international partners.