2018-09-11
At the Tbilisi International Conference organized by the McCain Institute and the Economic Policy Research Center, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze emphasized in his reply to a question about a wealthy man as the founder of the ruling party possibly being a threat to Georgian democracy that Georgia is on the right track to European democracy, and that Georgian Dream's philosophy seeks to turn Georgia into a European parliamentary democracy.
The Head of Government emphasized that Bidzina Ivanishvili is Georgian Dream's founder and leader.
"We won the 2012 elections. The best answer what this big change has brought for country is the international rankings, how we improved our positions in all directions, in terms of media pluralism, human rights, protection of private property, and making transparency much higher. Let me remind you that in terms of budget transparency we are among the top 5 countries in the world. According to many studies, Georgia is in the same league as Holland, Sweden, UK, so these are very concrete achievements. We are on the right path toward democratic transformation, toward creating a truly European democracy in Georgia. Moreover, this is the political philosophy of GD to make European democracy and parliamentary democracy in Georgia. That was a big change what we made. That is truly historical," Mamuka Bakhtadze stated.
In reply to the question by Chief Columnist for Financial Time Edward Luce about his possible accountability to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Prime Minister stated that he is accountable to the voters of Georgian Dream and Georgian society, while the rest is nothing but speculations.
"Once again, the best answer is in real statistics and figures, our advancement in all international rankings. Not in the best interests of our democracy to have this comparison, what before and after 2102, but there is big progress and achievement. However, we should look to the future, look for engagement, and try to consolidate the efforts of the government, opposition, civil society, and of all our friends to overcome the challenges. This path is full of challenges-we do not have any illusions. And there is no alternative solution, except the consolidation of our efforts and engagement of all stakeholders. We are on the right path. Georgia has become an outlier in the region, but we have challenges. We need to reduce and eliminate poverty. Once we achieve this goal, our chances will become much higher. Why? Because economy and our political life will become much more sustainable. Russia is trying its best, but they will not achieve their goals in Georgia due to very specific reasons I have mentioned. It is about only the ruling party or political establishment. It is about very basic values. Of course, this does not mean that we should not proactive; we should be and we are proactive. We have huge achievements in democracy building and we need huge achievements in improving the economic life of our society and citizens, and the combination of these two will make Georgia a full member of NATO and the EU. We are absolutely sure about it," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Prime Minister's Press Office