2017-06-01
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili urges everyone against jumping into conclusions on the case of Azerbaijani citizen Afgan Mukhtarli and against discrediting state institutions.
As the Prime Minister emphasized during today's Government meeting, he understands the concerns of citizens and human rights NGOs, but drawing premature conclusions is unacceptable.
"It is especially unacceptable to discredit the institutions in charge of national security. An investigation is underway. The Interior Minister made a statement, we maintain contact with our Azerbaijani colleagues, and I urge everyone against jumping into conclusions until the investigation is over. Fostering the discreditation of our state institutions will make protecting our security a very challenging task. Trust between our citizens and the state is what sustains genuinely democratic state-building. Therefore, I once again urge everyone to abstain from jumping into conclusions and from discrediting our state institutions. Of course, I urge our law enforcement to probe into this case as fast as possible, so that no one in our country may doubt the validity of respect for human rights, to assure everyone that the insinuations circulating in the past two days, including those suggesting that he was transferred, for example, are but groundless. It is absolutely unacceptable. Of course, I rule out the slightest possibility of our state institutions being involved. An investigation is underway, so we must wait for its findings," the Prime Minister of Georgia stated.
Prime Minister's Press Office