Opposition Groups Pressure Government on Gazprom Deal

The parliamentary minority requested on January 23 to schedule political debates with Georgian Dream parliamentary majority on the new transit deal with Gazprom for February 8, the launch of the parliament’s spring session.
 
Earlier, to answer their concerns on the new Gazprom deal, parliamentary minority factions – European Georgia and European Georgia for Better Future – invited Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze to the parliament, which he declined.
 
“Since the government is not coming to the parliament, the [parliamentary] majority will have to respond [to our questions],” MP Sergo Ratiani said on January 23.
 
MP Ada Marshania of the Alliance of Patriots noted that the debates between parliamentary minority and majority “are senseless” without participation of “Kaladze or other government representative.” She also added that their parliamentary faction requested the agreement from the government but received “no response.”
 
According to the parliamentary bureau, the request to hold political debates on the issue will be discussed at the plenary session, which will decide to approve or decline the parliamentary minority’s appeal.

On January 23, UNM lawmakers proposed a draft parliamentary resolution on the new Gazprom deal. The document states that the agreement is “highly risky and harmful,” “endangers the stability and security of Georgia’s energy system” and “completely contradicts” to “Georgia’s national security policy and interests.”
 
The draft resolution requests the “immediate disclosure of the content of negotiations,” as well as “raising the issue of government’s responsibility.”
 
Commenting on the matter, senior Georgian Dream lawmaker Giorgi Volski said that the opposition is trying to “mislead” the society. “Our opponents are requesting the suspension of the agreement and leaving the country without transit fee and the gas supply. This is their real demand.” Volski added.

With the new agreement, which has already been signed as reported to civil.ge by the Georgian Energy Ministry, Georgia will partially maintain the commodity payment scheme in 2017 and move to full monetary reimbursement in 2018. The exact financial value of the agreement remains undisclosed, however.

The new agreement has raised questions in President Giorgi Margvelashvili, opposition political parties and civil society organizations.

Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze who negotiated the deal on behalf of the Georgian government, said on January 18 that the government took “rational and correct steps” in negotiations with Gazprom and blamed “marginal and unpopular individuals and groups” for organizing “a disinformation hysteria.”