The ruling party in Georgia and the opposition on Monday signed an agreement mediated by the European Union to end the political crisis that has raised concerns for democracy in the former Soviet republic.
Representatives of all political parties signed the agreement but the main opposition force, the United National Movement, said it would join when its leader, Nika Melia, was released from prison as the text provides.
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Georgia has been plunged into a political crisis since the October legislative elections, where the opposition claimed the results were rigged to keep the Georgian Dream Party in power. She therefore demanded new elections and refused to participate in the work of the new Parliament. European Council President Charles Michel, who oversaw the televised signing ceremony of the agreement at the Georgian presidential palace from Brussels, said he would visit Tbilisi, the capital of the country on Tuesday. Georgia.
He describes the agreement as
"a truly European way of resolving the crisis"
and as
"a starting point (...) towards a consolidation of Georgian democracy".
Charles Michel added that he would discuss joint measures with Georgian politicians aimed at strengthening ties between this Caucasian country candidate for entry into the EU and Brussels. The European Union and the United States had called on Georgian MPs to endorse the compromise agreement presented to them. This should strengthen the independence of the judiciary, making it possible to improve electoral processes and contribute to the establishment of
"a parliament capable of better representing all the voices of Georgia".
The European Union and the United States called on Georgian MPs on Sunday to approve this compromise agreement, in a joint statement that testified to the active resumption of consultations between Brussels and Washington on the subject of Russia's southern and western neighbors, in a moment when relations are still strained with Moscow, in particular on the subject of Ukraine.
