On 6 February, the members of the European Parliament working on Georgian issues - Sven Mikser, Andrius Kubilius, Markéta Gregorová, Michael Gahler, Petras Auštrevičius and Viola von Cramon - expressed their concern regarding the “careless breach of privacy” regarding opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi TV director Nika Gvaramia by ruling Georgian Dream party parliamentarian Tea Tsulukiani, as well as Tsulukiani’s  “unflattering attitude” towards the EU ambassador to the country Carl Hartzell, reported agenda.ge. 

In a recent plenary session of the Georgian parliament, Tsulukiani publicly released Gvaramia’s phone number, which the EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell called “unethical.” In return, Tsulukiani requested to hold a separate meeting with Hartzell, later telling journalists that the ambassador’s comment had been his personal view, not that of the EU.  

In their joint letter sent to Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze, the six EU parliamentarians said that “it was regrettable, very unpleasant, and unethical when the fundamental right of privacy is carelessly breached in the walls of your institution.” They also added that “it was equally regrettable and simply in bad taste when the EU ambassador’s accurate assessment of the events prompts a request of justification from your colleagues.”

“Ambassador Hartzell, who during the last months has spared no efforts in making sure that Georgia has a functioning, pluralistic and democratic parliament, does not merely express ‘his personal opinion’ but voices those fundamental EU values that your country also claims to aspire to,” the letter further stressed. “We hope to see soon a transparent and pluralistic parliament just like Georgian voters intended it to be,” the statement added, saying that it is an imperative for all political parties to act in good faith and reinvigorate honest efforts in search of a political solution. “In this process, there should be no place for polarising language, personal attacks, and inciting harassment. It is your mandate as a Chairperson of the Parliament to ensure a high level of decorum in the plenary hall, which will allow for constructive debates and effective oversight on legislation,” the letter concluded.

The EU parliamentarians also noted that when during their recent visit to Brussels the GD parliamentarians “presented a very ambitious goal of applying for EU membership in 2024” and reminded the ruling team that “ambitious political goals require equally ambitious democratic standards.”

The leader of the opposition Strategy Agmashenebeli party Giorgi Vashadze also reflected on a letter, calling it the heaviest message Georgia has ever received from the EU. “To me this letter is an indicator that the situation in Georgia is very closely controlled by the EU parliamentarians. I think this letter is of great significance. First of all, from a state point of view, it is bad for the country because they are basically telling us to follow certain behavioural norms. Second of all, this was a very direct response to an insolent announcement, and it reminded everyone who represents who, and that the Ambassador of the European Union does not speak for himself. It was a heavy message. To be straightforward, I cannot remember receiving a message like this before. This does not have to do with position/opposition anymore. It’s more concerned with what’s generally happening in the country and what democratic and European standards stand for,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Talakvadze called on the opposition forces to join a fact-finding interim commission in an attempt to overcome the political deadlock in the country. He urged the opposition to take responsibility, join the commission’s activities and prove their accusations regarding the 31 October elections with facts. “Otherwise, as soon as the work of the commission is completed, the ruling team will assume that the allegations against the elections no longer exist,” he added. The opposition European Georgia party described these suggested reforms as “useless.”   

It was also reported that the Vake constituency parliamentary candidate from the Lelo opposition party announced that he would leave the party, just a few months after he joined. “Some differences in political views started at the end of the election campaign. All my efforts were directed to the emergence of a new, alternative force in the Georgian bipolar political field - in fact, the main demand of a large part of the population, which was to dismiss the Georgian Dream without the National Movement coming back, has remained unfulfilled. My participation in the elections together with Lelo was part of this attempt. However, in my opinion, we have found ourselves in a different reality, which has led to my final decision to leave the party,” Koberidze said.