Shalva Papuashvili: When working on the document known as the “April 19 Agreement,” it became clear that the goal of the friends working as mediators was more than just being intermediaries between the two sides — points were appearing in the text that neither party nor any “NGO” had requested

During the process of working on the document known as the "April 19 Agreement," it became evident that the goal of the friends acting as mediators was more than simply facilitating negotiations between the two sides — points were appearing in the text that neither party nor any NGO had requested at that time, said Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, during the presentation of the activity report of the 10th convocation of Parliament.

According to him, when the newly elected political team in Parliament was busy completely debunking the myth of election fraud, Giorgi Gakharia resigned, which was an attempt to encourage radicals.

“At that time, when the newly elected political team in Parliament was focused on completely debunking the myth of election fraud, in February 2021, we saw a performance by Giorgi Gakharia, who, one day, categorically demanded the lifting of Nika Melia’s parliamentary immunity, and the next day, when he was supposed to carry out this decision, he took a selfie and left, which should have been seen as pouring oil on the fire of radicals who had fortified themselves in imaginary Alamut. At that time, the public recently received an explanation for this seemingly inexplicable move after the investigative commission questioned him, when, after several attempts to lie, he had to admit that this act of betrayal of the state, the voters, and the political team, which was supposed to lead to the collapse of the government, was a coordinated step with one of the ambassadors. Fortunately, his and his advisor’s calculations were, once again, wrong,” Papuashvili stated.

Shalva Papuashvili also emphasized that it became clear that the pressure on the government would take even more dangerous forms.

“In the spring of 2021, the Georgian Dream agreed to participate in a political process mediated by Charles Michel, which ended with an agreement with a small portion of the parties. By the way, during the process of working on the document known as the ‘April 19 Agreement,’ a significant factor was revealed. It turned out that the European and American friends working as mediators had a different understanding of their mandate, and their goal was more than simply mediating between the two sides. The agreement text contained points, such as the demand for a qualified majority for the election of the General Prosecutor, which no party or NGO had requested at that time. When I read this point in the draft agreement, I immediately asked the mediators who proposed this issue. The response was silence. Later, I inquired about this matter from the opposition parties and NGOs. All denied that they had made this demand. This was the first indicator that those who presented themselves as impartial mediators were, in fact, political actors working with their own agenda. This episode became a well-documented case of foreign influence and interest, of which I am both a witness and a participant,” Papuashvili said.

Additionally, the Speaker of Parliament noted that the “failed party revolution” of 2020 was replaced by the “buzz of media workers” in 2021.

He stated that, despite the cancellation of the Charles Michel agreement, the 43% threshold that Georgian Dream had to surpass in the 2021 elections still carried symbolic significance.

“Despite the agreement, the core of the radical opposition refused to sign the Charles Michel document and enter Parliament, continuing the process of political polarization and attempting to escalate the crisis situation, which was supposed to be used in the local elections,” Papuashvili remarked.

He added that everyone remembers how the National Movement was made to sign an already nullified agreement.

“That is why, at the end of July 2021, Georgian Dream left the ‘April 19 Agreement’ and began their electoral campaign. Between April and August, attempts were made once again to manipulate the issue of minority rights with LGBT marches, which turned into a violent process, and political activists disguised as media workers appeared on Rustaveli Avenue. The failed party revolution of 2020 was replaced by the buzz of media workers in 2021.

Despite the cancellation of the Charles Michel agreement, the 43% threshold that Georgian Dream had to overcome in the 2021 elections still carried symbolic significance. Everyone remembers how the National Movement was made to sign an already nullified agreement, i.e., a piece of flimsy paper, just to allow the then EU Ambassador to arrogantly sit in his chair and, through a video message, inform the nation that the agreement was now fully in force and that the ‘scythe of the lowered barrier’ was hanging in the air,” Papuashvili concluded.