Tbilisi: The Public defender of Georgia, Levam Ioseliani met on September 11 with Robin L. Dunnigan, the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Georgia.
The Public Defender was accompanied by the first deputy Public Defender Tamar Gvaramadze during his meeting with the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the USA to Georgia.
The Public Defender and the first deputy minister discussed the role of the public defender’s office in the upcoming election during a meeting with the ambassador. The discussion also focused on the institution’s supervisory role in the pre-election period and during the election.
The office has a crucial role to play even after the election has concluded for a smooth transition of power. The office of public defenders has to ensure that there is no incident of hate speech by political opponents to ensure the safe conduct of political process within the framework of ethical norms.
The public defender apprised the US ambassador of the office’s various measures and steps to ensure a free and transparent election. The election for the Parliament of Georgia is scheduled for the later days of October this year.
On the other hand the USA’s Ambassador personally confirmed the United States government’s position. She reiterated that the US government will continue supporting the Office of the Public Defender for free and transparent elections and after-election procedures.
The USA’s ambassador introduced the newly appointed director of the International Bureau of Anti-Narcotics and Law Enforcement Programs (INL) of the US Embassy in Georgia to the Public defender. Jamie Schaffelbarger has been appointed director by USA recently.
Many other dignitaries were also present at the meeting of the public defender with the Ambassador. These include the deputy director of USAID/Caucasus, Democracy, Rights and Governance Office Corinne Rothblum and many others.
At the meeting the parties expressed their readiness to deepen partnership relations. Georgia’s opposition parties cried about the ruling regime’s misuse of power. However the ruling party’s Georgian dream rejected all these allegations as politically motivated.
