James Appathurai: NATO Countries Do Not Have Gov'ts Boycotted by Oppositions

"NATO countries do not have the governments boycotted by opposition parties," NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said an interview with the Georgian First Channel.

“I know that the United States and the European Union were very active in Georgia talking to the opposition and the government. What we have said to the leadership in Georgia is that we would like to see the diminishment of polarization.

"Some NATO countries also have very divided political systems, and that is not news to anyone. But having a functioning government, including the sitting and active opposition, is the essence of how the governments in NATO countries operate.

"We do not have governments boycotted by opposition parties, so the polarization is first and foremost a problem for Georgia. However, the whole international community would like to see it be diminished between the opposition and the government as soon as possible," Appathurai noted.

By Ana Dumbadze