TBILISI - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili calls for holding parliamentary elections in October fairly and democratically.
“International monitors found the 2013 presidential elections and the 2014 local elections in Georgia as ones that passed in a free and fair atmosphere. The Georgian government will not spare efforts to make sure that the upcoming elections should be open, free, and fair, so that we could confirm once again that we are moving ahead on the way of our democratic development,” Kvirikashvili said at an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session in Tbilisi.
Georgia is interested in inviting as many international monitors as possible to these elections, he said.
“We are prepared to receive the maximum possible number of monitors so as to ensure the full transparency of the voting process. I’ll say openly: this is a matter of prestige and honor for our government, and ultimately, a quality test for our democracy,” Kvirikashvili said.
He also touched upon Georgia’s relations with Russia in his presentation.
“Since 2012, the Georgian government has sought to normalize and deescalate relations with Russia. We have partially normalized our trade and economic relations and have resolved certain humanitarian problems. We are willing to continue this course and dialogue with Russia,” Kvirikashvili said.
Georgia’s desire to integrate with the Euro-Atlantic institutions is not aimed against other states, he said.
