TBILISI, October 3 – Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze dismissed the resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), calling it “another attack on the Georgian people.”
Speaking one day after the PACE vote, Kobakhidze said the resolution revealed the “serious problems” in Europe’s bureaucracy and that it includes passages that “don’t stand up to criticism.” He argued that such documents “have no value” for Georgia. The prime minister also singled out Ukrainian lawmaker Lisa Yasko, one of the resolution’s supporters, claiming she had a subjective interest in seeing it adopted.
The PACE resolution, titled “Support for democracy and the rule of law in Georgia,” was adopted on October 2 with 68 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions. The text expressed concern over what it described as a democratic crisis in Georgia and said the government had “systematically disregarded” the Assembly’s concerns and recommendations, concerns echoed by parts of the wider international community.
The resolution also criticized what it called growing antagonism in Tbilisi’s relations with European institutions, the use of repressive legislation against civil society, and politically motivated prosecutions. Georgian opposition parties hailed the vote as a warning sign.
