Garibashvili Talks Refusal of President’s Europe Visits

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili claimed today the Government had refused President Salome Zurabishvili to make official visits to Europe because amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, “the President, the Commander-in-Chief, should have been and should be in the country.”

“This was our main argument and motivation for the refusal,” the PM told reporters, stressing that this opinion was shared by “every member of the Government.”

He also argued that the Georgian Constitution obliges the President to receive consent for any official visits from the Government, which implements the country’s foreign policy.

“I should reiterate that, as it seems unfortunately the Georgian President has been misled,” the Prime Minister also said, without elaborating further.

“I would like to assume that she fell into this uncertainty,” he added. “I hope that very soon everything will be cleared up and there will no longer be these questions.”

PM Garibashvili made the remarks after the ruling Georgian Dream party announced earlier today that the Government would sue the President in the Constitutional Court over competencies.

The Georgian Dream claimed that the President has overstepped her competencies and pursued foreign policy by side-stepping the Georgian Government.

In the statement, the GD argued the President’s role as the Commander-in-Chief of Georgia was merely “ceremonial.”

President Salome Zurabishvili said during her March 14 annual address to the Parliament that she was refused in writing to make working trips to Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Warsaw.

The President added that she was then forced to resort to personal connections to meet the leaders in Paris and Brussels.

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