European People’s Party (EPP) President Joseph DAUL concluded a two-day working visit to Georgia yesterday. President Daul met with Opposition Leader David BAKRADZE and the leadership of EPP member party the United National Movement (UNM); he also met with diplomats, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi KVIRIKASHVILI, President of the Parliament David USUPASHVILI, other political actors as well as President of the Constitutional Court George PAPUASHVILI. President Daul visited political prisonersGigi UGULAVA, former Mayor of Tbilisi and UNM campaign manager, Vano MERABISHVILI, former Prime Minister and Secretary General of UNM, and Bacho AKHALIA, former Defense Minister of Georgia. The EPP President also had fruitful discussions with numerous civil society organisations as well as a dialogue with Georgian youth and with representatives of the political foundations KAS and IRI. President Daul visited the Georgian TV station Rustavi 2 and paid tribute at the Kojori-Tabakhmela memorial to the cadets fallen in the battle for Tbilisi during the Soviet Russian invasion of independent and democratic Georgia in 1921. The main issues discussed during the visit were Georgia’s European path, the continuous violence and selective justice used against the opposition, protection of personal privacy, the need for free and fair elections in autumn, the freedom of media, visa liberalization, reform of the electoral code, and the country’s territorial integrity. In this regard, the EPP President was briefed on the current security situation of the country by the EU Monitoring Mission. Needless to say, the EPP reiterates its support for the territorial integrity and full sovereignty of Georgia. “As my two-day visit in Georgia comes to an end, I leave this country hopeful but also concerned. The pro-EU sentiment among the people, especially the young ones, remains as strong as ever. The direct exchanges I had with a room full of young people at the Saakashvili Presidential Library was the proof of it. The European course for Georgia is the best option for its people and for a prosperous future for the country,” said EPP President Joseph Daul. “However, I remain deeply worried about politically motivated prosecutions of the opposition, about the reluctance of the current government to investigate violent attacks on opposition offices and about selective justice in Georgia. Using the judiciary system to intimidate the opposition is unacceptable. Justice has to be independent from political influence, and the independence of the Constitutional Court has to be ensured in the future as well.” “Regarding the media, the freedom of the press is a non-negotiable, fundamental right (EPP resolution on Rustavi 2 of 22 October). We expect the government to take immediate actions and abide by European values at all times—before, during and after elections,” continued the EPP President. “There has been a lot of misinterpretation regarding my statements on visa liberalisation. First, the negotiations on visa-free travel for Georgia were initiated by the UNM. Second, UNM has consistently emphasised and demanded that visa liberalisation be granted to its citizens as soon as possible.” “It is important for Georgian people to travel freely to the EU, especially for young people to be able to study abroad, and to give to the people the possibility to open up to others. It is essential, however, to understand that visa liberalisation for Georgia will follow the normal procedure: the European Parliament and the Council will discuss the issue and give the green light to the recommendation of the European Commission. While the EPP fully supports a visa-free regime for the people of Georgia, it requests that the Georgian government ensure that European standards are met in the spirit of  the Association Agreement, as was addressed in the EP resolution of 21 January 2016,” EPP President Joseph Daul concluded. Finally, President Daul expressed the EPP’s full support for David BAKRADZE and the UNM leadership. The EPP will continue to back Georgia on its European path to ensure that the Georgian people can live in a country where rule of law is respected and independent justice is assured and to enable Georgia’s economy to prosper in a corruption-free environment.