(16 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tbilisi, Georgia – 16 May 2024
1. President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili during interview
2 .SOUNDBITE (English) Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia:
"It’s clear that this protest wave is not going to disappear despite what probably the authorities were hoping for. It’s the 37th week, if I’m not mistaken – 37th day, sorry, not week, of this protest. And every day, it takes a new form. So it’s self renewable in a way. And it’s very clear. Today I’ve seen that 120, organisations signed a common letter to me asking me to put a veto on the law, and not to have any small modifications, which now is a new, gimmick about this law. Because the law per se is unacceptable. It’s not modifiable. It’s unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards European integration."
3. Reporter asking question, UPSOUND (English): "You said will veto the, the law, but the Georgian Dream has the capacity to override the veto. But will you veto…?
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia:
"That’s true of many of the laws that I vetoed until now, since the declaration I made, that I would veto all the legislation that goes directly against the spirit or the letter of EU recommendations because that’s my duty under the constitution to make everything in my capacity possible to support the European integration and to consolidate it. So I’m exactly in that position. Today, we are halfway between the candidate status that we got in December and the possibility at the end of the year of getting the opening of the accession negotiations. At this point in time, and the session of the Parliament ends end of June, the Parliament should be working day and night to satisfy the recommendations that we have on the table, on the justice reform, on the corruption agency’s independence and things like that. And instead of that, instead of doing what is expected from us, the Parliament is working on a law that was rejected last year, that all our partners, European partners have said that it is not consistent with the European values and the European objectives. So it’s very clear what’s happening. The authorities are not doing what the country expects and the country is reacting because the country wants Europe and wants not to lose the possibility at the end of the year of seeing the opening of these accession negotiations."
5. Flags
6. SOUNDBITE (English) SalFome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia:
7. Zourabichviil during interview
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia:
"It’s very clear that the South Caucasus has moved away from the Russian influence. Azerbaijan has moved closer to Turkey, although it has maybe a different approach in its relations. But Armenia is moving and has been approaching with the European Union. And I always say that Europeans should also pay more attention to Armenia. But clearly their way goes our way, and so much will depend on how Georgia consolidates its European position. And all of that is very essential for the Black Sea. We see that the focus of the Ukraine war is now more on Crimea and on the Black Sea than it is on the eastern parts. And that is the the real game (that) is happening around the Black Sea. Who is going to control it? And that of course for us and for Europe is very essential."
9. Zourabichvili during interview
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