After almost a week of mass protests against the Georgian government’s decision to suspend the European integration process, Prime Minister Iraklii Kobakhidze stated on readiness to start negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union. However, he expects a reaction from Brussels, which does not recognize the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament.
“Not only are we not stopping the process of European integration, but we are intensifying our efforts to ensure Georgia’s accession to the European Union in 2030.” – he declared.
At the same time, he accused the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavlo Herchynskyi of spreading disinformation.
“Against this background, it is shameful and disturbing that the ambassador of the European Union was involved in a disinformation campaign carried out by the radical opposition and its affiliated public organizations and mass media”, – noted the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Such words were heard after the statements of European officials who criticized the actions of the Georgian government as anti-democratic. In response, Kobakhidze called these accusations unfair, stressing that it was the ruling party “Georgian Dream” that initiated the key steps of European integration: signing the Association Agreement, introducing a free trade zone and obtaining a visa-free regime.
The Prime Minister also drew attention to the alleged ignoring by European partners of cases of “systemic violence” by opposition groups, which, in his opinion, remains under-appreciated.
