Irakli Kobakhidze on European recommendations: If you look closely at the 9 requirements, you will realize that 80% of the requirements out of the 12 points have been fulfilled - therefore, it is easier to work on these 9 points than it was on 12 issues

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of Georgian Dream, there will be openness on the part of the ruling team in the process of working on the 9 points of the European recommendations, and the opposition will be offered to participate.

Kobakhidze told journalists about this when he responded to the statement of Herczynski, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, that the government should be inclusive and the opposition should be constructive in the process of implementing the recommendations.

As Kobakhidze noted, the 9 requirements set by the European Commission for Georgia are more specific and it will be easier to work on them than the previous 12 points.

"We have repeatedly talked about the fact that the process will be open. Within the framework of 12 points, we also offered the opposition to be involved in the process, but many of them refused. An offer will now be made once more. There will also be cooperation with other entities, including non-governmental organizations. There will be absolute openness from our side.

There are 9 requirements that are much more local and specific than the previous 12. The previous 12 recommendations were much more extensive. If you look closely at these new 9 requirements, you will realize that 80% of the 12-point requirements have been fulfilled. Therefore, it is easier to work on these 9 points than it was on 12 points. The rest depends on the work process," said Irakli Kobakhidze.

As for another part of Herczynski's statement, where he talks about the electoral threshold, Kobakhidze says that the government has no legal or political obligation to lower the threshold.

"I agree with the EU Ambassador, he pointed out that a high threshold applies in most EU countries, only 4 countries have a threshold of 3% or lower. Under such circumstances, we have no legal or political obligation to lower the threshold. A high threshold has both pluses and minuses. The main advantage is that in the conditions of the proportional system, the high threshold acts as a kind of stabilizer. Our democratic processes need stable development and that is why it is important to maintain the 5% threshold," said Irakli Kobakhidze.

Regarding another statement of the Ambassador, which will concern the upcoming elections, Irakli Kobakhidze said that "the elections will be free, democratic and competitive, as in previous cases".

"In 2012, the practice of total falsification of elections ended in Georgia. After that, democratic and competitive elections are held, and this election will be like that too," said Kobakhidze.