Georgian Parliament official: no external actor can dictate Georgia’s legislative agenda

Giorgi Sosiashvili, the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science, and Youth Affairs, on Saturday said that foreign institutions had no right to influence Georgia’s legislative decisions, including which laws should be adopted, amended, or repealed.

Sosiashvili made the remarks in response to a decision by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers concerning the execution of a European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case “Makarashvili and Others v. Georgia”.

He stressed that decisions on legislation belong solely to Georgia’s national government and legislative body, which were elected by the will of the Georgian people.

“No one can tell us which law we should submit to Parliament, which law we should discuss, or which law we should withdraw, repeal, or amend. This is a matter for Georgia’s national government and legislative body, elected by the will of the Georgian people”, he said.

The official also criticised what he described as external pressure on states to adopt laws related to social and cultural issues, claiming that such influence undermines traditional values and national identity.

“Naturally, I would advise them to review their own laws, because the legislation of some countries has reached absurdity. I am referring to the promotion and legal enforcement of non-traditional lifestyles, where countries are directly pressured to implement this. This amounts to the destruction of people’s traditions”, Sosiashvili concluded.