Azerbaijan, Baku, 30 July / Trend corr. A.Gasimova/ The U.S. State Department calls on the Georgian Government to launch a proactive dialogue with the opposition.
"My message to the government included the need to make a maximum proactive effort to work with the opposition to foster a culture of respect for political pluralism," David J. Kramer, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour said before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on 29 July.
A policy-making process that includes consultations with experts and stakeholders including the opposition and civil society would be helpful. "In Georgia, I expressed concern about the lack of checks and balances among the branches of government, and urged the authorities to support robust democratic institutions including a strong, multi-party parliament and a fully independent judiciary," said Kramer.
He expressed concerns about negative trends since last year regarding media freedom, and stressed the need to accelerate prison reform. "It is in Georgia's own interest and also in the interest of our already strong bilateral relationship to see democratic institutions take root in Georgia. I also urged opposition leaders to strengthen their outreach to Georgia's citizens to explain their parties' vision for strengthening democratic and market economic institutions," he said.