Georgian president to hold annual address on February 21

President Giorgi Margvelashvili. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–President Giorgi Margvelashvili will hold his first annual address to parliament on February 21.

Outlining the content of his speech already on Friday, Margvelashvili announced he wants to focus on values and Georgia’s ‘strategic vectors’; in which direction the country should develop.

“Of course we will discuss the constitution as well, also about the year since we came into power, and the values which should be established in the future,” he said.

The president reiterated that the format of his address will be different than during the previous government, because under the new constitution he is no longer responsible for the budget and the ministers and has a different role.

Margvelashvili, who took the oath of office three months ago, said members of parliament from the opposition and the ruling coalition will also have speeches.

The Georgian Constitution says the president must once a year come to parliament to report on important developments in the country.

Former President Saakashvili used the annual addresses to promote his policies, but his last speech a year ago was marred by violence as angry former prisoners clashed with National Movement activists outside the National Library in Tbilisi.