Georgia: EPP concerned about charges against former President Mikheil Saakashvili

The Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, MEP, commented on the filing of charges against the former President of Georgia and United National Movement (UNM) President Mikheil Saakashvili:

“The unjustified charges against former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in relation to his work of in Ukraine in support of Ukraine’s new government, are a worrying continuation of actions taken against many senior members of the main opposition party, the UNM, an EPP member party. This latest development takes place a month after the arrest of UNM leader and campaign manager Gigi Ugulava and a year after the arrest of former Prime Minister and UNM Secretary General Vano Merabishvili.

The EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA) signed more than a month ago, calls for the respect of justice and the rule of law. Yet, the recent series of politically motivated actions again the country's main opposition party, reveal that the government is not taking seriously the AA. Therefore, on behalf of the EPP, I urge the Georgian government to fully comply with the letter and the spirit of the AA, to abandon sterile political conflicts, and to focus on developing Georgia’s economy and to work in the best interests of the people.”

The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 73 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, 12 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government and the largest Group in the European Parliament.