The Georgian delegation is participating in the 48th plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg from March 25 to 27.

The 48th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, currently taking place in Strasbourg, is also attended by Zurab Abashidze, Deputy Head of the Georgian Delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and Deputy Chairman of the Tbilisi City Assembly. Additionally, representatives from the Tbilisi, Senaki, and Ozurgeti City Assemblies—Otar Grigolia, Sevdia Ugrekhelidze, and Tatia Nikolashvili—are participating, along with Irakli Chincharauli, Head of the City Hall Administration of the Tbilisi Municipality.

The plenary session was opened by the President of the Congress, Mark Cools. The session addressed several topics, including the state of local and regional democracy in Georgia, with members of the Georgian delegation delivering speeches.

Representatives of the capital’s City Council emphasized that the goal of the Georgian government is to promote the country’s European integration process and that the government has never wavered in its commitment to this objective.

Members of the government team urged the delegates not to support the resolution, which is based on biased perceptions. They explained that such resolutions are seen as interference in the country’s internal affairs and encourage antagonistic groups.

Members of the United National Movement, Sevdia Ugrekhelidze and Tatia Nikolaishvili, spoke at the session about violence against women in politics and highlighted the detention of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli. According to the opposition members, Mzia Amaglobeli was illegally detained for political purposes. She has been on a hunger strike in prison for 38 days, and there is no evidence against her.

Tbilisi City Council member Otar Grigolia discussed the ongoing protests in Georgia and emphasized that the protests, which have become particularly intense since November of last year, have, in some cases, not been peaceful. He stated that law enforcement agencies had to respond appropriately to the protests to ensure the safety of peaceful demonstrators and protect state infrastructure.

“Against the backdrop of these events, more than 150 law enforcement offiicers were injured, which in itself speaks volumes about the nature of the recent events in the country. The assessments that the protests were peaceful and that the police were dispersing them without reason are irresponsible and push radical groups to take extreme actions,” said Otar Grigolia.

During the session, the participants also discussed in detail several important issues, including Russian aggression against Ukraine, violence against women in politics, and local and regional democracy worldwide.

Debates were held on national and international policy topics, with the best examples of how local government representatives can protect democracy and ensure better local governance being presented.

The session will also focus on the results of monitoring local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the issue of the dismissal of mayors in Turkey.

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