The Party of European Socialists (PES) condemns the decision of Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili to participate in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary this week.
CPAC – which gathers conservative, populist and far-right figures from across the globe – is taking place in Budapest with the support of Hungary’s far-wing populist prime minister Viktor Orban. Garibashvili, a prominent figure in the PES observer member party Georgian Dream heavily advertised his participation at the conservative forum and in his speech in Budapest today praised Orban as the true defender of Europe.
PES Vice President Kati Piri said:
“The actions of Prime Minister Garibashvili are unacceptable and place him completely outside the values of our political family. The PES already decided to evaluate the status of Georgian Dream within the party at the next meeting of the Presidency. This is obviously a necessary step following the intervention by Garibashvili today.”
The status of Georgian Dream within the PES – currently an observer member of the party – was raised at the Presidency meeting in March, further discussed at the Presidency meeting last week, and will be on the agenda for the upcoming Presidency meeting in June.
