Upcoming PACE Ministerial in Tbilisi and the Controversy which Surrounds It
The Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, which the Georgian delegation is holding the Presidency of, is planning a Ministerial meeting in Tbilisi, in the Spring of 2020.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia neither approves or rejects the information that Russian FM Sergei Lavrov might attend the Ministerial in Tbilisi.
MFA of Georgia states that: “Every detail of the Ministerial will be held statutorily and according to the procedures of the law. Georgia as the Chairman country will host the Council of Europe (CoE) Ministerial Committee in May. In the organizational details of the Ministerial summit, we are in coordination with the CoE heads to upkeep every detail of the conference.”
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says the country is ready to host a Russian deputation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ministerial in Tbilisi.
On the provocative question by the Russian journalist tainting Georgia’s authority and legitimacy to hold the Conference, President Zurabishvili answered: “Georgia is planning to set aside its own federal laws, which excludes individuals to enter the country, who favor and/or roam on the occupied territories of Georgia, without permission from the administration.”
According to President, though the members of the Kremlin delegation have violated the Georgian law on the occupied territories, the country will still accept them.
Salome Zurabishvili clarified that while Georgia does not approve the affirmed policy of the Russian authorities, it regards its own international obligations.
"We are the state that respects own international obligations and will accept the Parliamentary Assembly because we respect the regulations and the principles of the organization," Zurabishvili said.
From 27 November of the previous year, until 15 May 2020, Georgia holds the presidency of the CoE. Every 6 months in May and in November, by alphabetical order, European nations take turns in who will lead the CoE. Before Georgia, France was the Chairman country.
By Beka Alexishvili