A part of opposition gathered on March 22 at a meeting initiated by the Labor Party and agreed to establish a joint working group to work on joint tactics on how to, as they put it, promptly change the current authorities.

Apart from the Labor Party, the meeting was attended by Nino Burjanadze, leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia; Levan Gachechiladze, leader of Defend Georgia; ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli, leader of Movement for Fair Georgia, as well as representatives of his political partner parties – Conservatives and Party of People. Gogi Topadze, leader of Industrialist Party and Tbilisi mayoral candidate and representative from Party of Freedom also participated.

Shalva Natelashvili, the leader of Labor Party, said after the meeting that the participants had agreed on text of an appeal to the international community calling for holding an international conference to discuss two issues: “end of the dictatorship and restoration of democracy in Georgia and second - restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.”

“Taking into consideration need for coordination between the opposition parties, we have decided to establish a working group, which will prepare strategy for a prompt change of the authorities,” Shalva Natelashvili said.

He said that it was decided to appoint Giorgi Khaindrava from public movement Defend Georgia as chairman of the joint working group.

Khaindrava said that he would launch consultations not only with those parties, which participated in the meeting, but also with others, “who seriously want to participate in the struggle.”

“This struggle will be very sharp and difficult and it will definitely end with the success of the Georgian people and for that to happen, we need to elaborate a joint action plan,” Khaindrava said.

Alliance for Georgia, National Forum, Georgia’s Way, as well as Christian-Democratic Movement, a leading party in the parliamentary minority, refused to participate in the meeting. One of the reasons cited by these parties was presence of Zurab Nogaideli’s party at the meeting.

"Regardless of political sympathies or antipathies we should all stand by each other in this struggle. Let's chose political partners, when the time for choice will come. There is no time for choosing from whom to take water when you have to fight against fire," Nino Burjanadze said at the meeting.

Koka Guntsadze, who is a member of Irakli Alasania’s party, part of Alliance for Georgia, was present at the meeting. Guntsadze, however, said that he was there in an individual capacity, not representing either Alasania’s party or Alliance for Georgia.