By IRAKLI GARIBASHVILI
Nov. 26, 2014 2:26 p.m. ET
Domestic political developments in Georgia in recent weeks have been making international news. When my former defense minister, Irakli Alasania, decided to stake an independent path ahead of the 2016 elections, he chose a bold but risky strategy: Georgia, he said, is at risk of falling under Russia's spell.
That argument doesn't hold water. It is a sign of just how fundamental our European and Euro-Atlantic integration path is to the Georgian national identity that all political figures and parties are desperate to hold on to the "most pro-Western" badge. Georgia's foreign-policy orientation isn't defined by a few individuals or even by the government-it is defined by the Parliament of Georgia and is a matter of strong cross-party consensus. It expresses the incontrovertible will of the Georgian people, who consistently state with margins of 80% their unambiguous ambition to return fully to the European family. Georgia's path toward European and Euro-Atlantic integration is steadfast and irreversible.
Internationally, however, in the context of widespread angst about Russia's influence over its neighbors and an understandable-if regrettable-overshadowing of developments in Georgia by those in Ukraine, scaremongering over our foreign-policy orientation is powerful.
The same is true of the second charge being advanced by critics of my government, that a probe by the prosecutor into a government procurement deal involving Ministry of Defense officials is a case of selective justice. The concept of "selective justice," it seems, is now expanded beyond politically motivated investigations of former officials and extends to all judicial processes that are inconvenient to anyone who has a sympathetic ear abroad.
The tactic of opposition parties leveraging foreign sensibilities for domestic political purposes isn't new to my government. We have established a free, plural and vibrant democracy. We are proud of this achievement and welcome critical voices. But if such criticism isn't backed up by facts and is then left uncontested, it can be dangerous.
This government, which maintains a strong, democratic mandate, won't allow for the independence of the prosecutor's office or the rule of law to be undermined. All are equal before the law, all abuses should be investigated and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty by a free, fair and transparent trial. Allegations of misuse of justice should be backed up by facts. We understand the importance of avoiding even the perception of selective justice, but perceptions should not be mistaken for facts.
The facts are that over the past two years we have overhauled the legal system, made judges independent, strengthened the rights of defendants and opened courtrooms to the media and international observers. We have even appointed an international panel of former prosecutors to review important cases before charges are brought.
Equally, we won't allow scaremongering to get in the way of our reforms and European integration. From the start, the approach of this government has been to take concrete actions to improve the lives of our people and meet the substantial criteria for European and Euro-Atlantic integration. In June we signed an Association Agreement with the European Union-negotiated with record speed-that we are now implementing. In September Georgia was one of only five partners of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to qualify as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner of the alliance.
The 2016 parliamentary elections promise to be another milestone in Georgia's democratic history, and we look forward to the race. In the meantime, however, we'll be getting on with the job of delivering on our promises to the Georgian people and on our commitments to our international partners. The critical but constructive support of the opposition would be welcome.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/articles/georgia-remains-westward-bound-1417030010