Georgian ruling party MP criticises European Parliament report

Members of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, have criticised a European Parliament report set to be put to a vote on June 17.

The draft, prepared by MEP Rasa Jukneviciene, claims that the ruling Georgian Dream party has changed the country’s course toward European integration. It also proposes sanctions against a number of Georgian officials, according to Georgian media.

Commenting on the document, ruling party MP Daviti Matikashvili said its content does not reflect reality.

“In this report, we see passages that, on the one hand, do not correspond to reality at all and are based on completely fabricated facts, and on the other hand, attempt to once again attack Georgia’s free media and impose sanctions on television channels whose voices are heard in society and which convey the truth to it,” Matikashvili said.

He added that the authors of the report are politically biased and that their actions are driven by external forces.

The criticism comes at a time of worsening tensions between Tbilisi and Brussels, following the adoption of several controversial laws and the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process. European institutions have repeatedly raised concerns about democratic standards in the country, while the Georgian authorities have accused some EU officials of political bias and interference in domestic political matters.

By Jeyhun Aghazada