Withdrawal from PACE won’t relieve Georgia of further responsibility – Soboliev
However, there is no political will to expel Georgia from the Council of Europe itself. This was stated by Serhii Soboliev, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation and member of the Monitoring Committee, in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent on the sidelines of the session in Strasbourg.
“Our upcoming resolution on Georgia reaffirms that, despite the ruling party’s decision to withdraw its deputies from the parliamentary assembly, Georgia remains a member of the Council of Europe and is therefore subject to all monitoring obligations,” Soboliev stated.
He further noted that the resolution, which is set to be amended during the committee meeting, retains critical warnings regarding the release of political prisoners, accountability for security forces, and the need to ensure truly democratic elections.
During the last PACE session, a decision was made to significantly limit the powers of the Georgian delegation, accompanied by a set deadline. It was anticipated that during the April session, PACE might reconsider Georgia's membership in the assembly, depending on progress made on key issues.
“At the time, these deadlines were necessary to prevent the Georgian delegation from returning after their demarche. Now, with their withdrawal letters submitted, there is no such threat. Regardless of whether Georgia has a delegation in the Assembly, it will remain accountable. This is now an accumulation of material that could potentially lead to Georgia's expulsion from the Council of Europe if it fails to fulfill the key responsibilities it assumed upon joining,” explained Soboliev.
However, Soboliev believes that such a decision is not imminent. “I think no one would pursue this now, except those who fully grasp the depths to which Ivanishvili's government is leading the country. Expulsion would require a joint decision by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe—a complex procedure previously applied to Russia. For now, we are closely monitoring developments in Georgia. This situation is reminiscent of Azerbaijan, which also left PACE but remained within the Council of Europe,” Soboliev clarified
On Thursday, the PACE will return to considering the situation in Georgia.
As reported by Ukrinform, Council of Europe President Alain Berset noted the challenging dynamics of the organization's relations with the Georgian authorities. However, he emphasized that, despite these difficulties, they should be granted the opportunity for a “structured dialogue.”
