Georgian Parliament official says Georgian people’s choice for stability and national leadership is what critics “cannot forgive”

Davit Matikashvili, the Chair of the Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules of the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday said that the Georgian people’s decision to choose peace over war and reelect the current government was the reason behind international criticism of Georgia.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Matikashvili criticised the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's resolution concerning Georgia, arguing that it reflects an unjustified and politically motivated approach toward the country.

“The fact that the Georgian people chose peace instead of war, rejected the country's destruction, and once again brought a patriotic, national government to power is precisely what they cannot forgive. This is the only explanation, because otherwise we reach an impenetrable wall and an inexplicable reality regarding what they want from the Georgian people”, he said.

The official argued that this democratic choice was not being accepted by certain international actors and claimed that international institutions were increasingly departing from their original missions.

“It creates the impression that what had been carefully built over decades - I am referring to international institutions, and in this case, naturally, the OSCE - is now being dismantled by the very people who currently represent those institutions”, Matikashvili noted.

He claimed that the Parliamentary Assembly is now acting beyond the scope of its mandate by adopting what he described as politically motivated and factually inaccurate resolutions.

“You know very well what kind of organisation the OSCE is, when it was established, and what its objectives are. One of its primary purposes has been - and, in principle, should still be - the preservation of peace and security on the European continent and the prevention of threats to that objective”, he stressed.

“Today, however, we see that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, guided by these distorted, completely incomprehensible, and falsehood-filled resolutions, is effectively acting beyond the limits of the mandate granted to it under its statutes and international mandate”, Matikashvili concluded.