On 23 July 2019, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria delivered a speech at the Conference on Reliable Justice, Democracy and Economic Development and talked about the rule of selection of Supreme Court judges, as Georgia's opportunity for democratic development and European integration.

"It was important to consider the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the process of selection of judges. The recommendations directly indicate that the candidates should be selected by the Council not through secret ballot, but on the basis of grounded criteria. However, the reality is different - the first secret ballot held in the High Council of Justice revealed a number of shortcomings and gave rise to suspicions regarding preliminary agreement.

"I hope that the Parliament of Georgia, as well as each member of the Council, will share the responsibility of the selection of Supreme Court judges in relation to the development of the country's internal democracy and European integration. I hope that the process will be transparent and fair, which will contribute to the development and stability of our country" , - the Public Defender stated.

Participants of the meeting emphasized the importance of ensuring correct, transparent, objective and highly trusty process for the democratic and economic development of the country. Special attention was paid to the Parliament's role and its high responsibility.

The conference was organized by the Georgian Bar Association and was supported by the Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia (USAID/PROLoG) programme. The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organizations, lawyers, representatives of the civil society and business sector.