The European Union has suspended high-level meetings with the Georgian government in response to anti-European actions and rhetoric from the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, according to EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński, RFE/RL’s project Ekho Kazkava reports.
Speaking to journalists, Herczyński revealed that European institutions decided to cease high-level contacts with the current Georgian government following internal discussions in June, on how to deal with Georgia’s “anti-Western and anti-European narratives, propaganda, and conspiracy theories.”
“[W]e decided not to have any high-level contacts with the current government of Georgia. That is why there have been no high-level visits to Georgia or high-level meetings with Georgian authorities in Brussels in recent months,” Herczyński stated.
The ambassador emphasized that the EU is prepared to work with authorities “ready to join the EU.” He warned that Georgia’s EU membership prospects would be jeopardized if the country becomes a one-party state where political opposition is banned, civil society is forced to work abroad, and fundamental human rights and minority rights are not protected.
EU deplores Georgia’s “family values” laws, warns of discrimination risks
Herczyński reminded that the EU is founded on specific values that are “non-negotiable,” including freedom, democracy, rule of law, and minority rights.
He expressed hope that in the upcoming elections on 26 October, “the Georgian people will elect a new government that is faithful to these values.”
The EU ambassador called on Georgian citizens to actively participate in the elections, stressing the importance of their votes in determining the country’s future.
“We sincerely hope that the turnout in the upcoming elections on 26 October will be historically high and you will collectively determine the future of your country,” Herczyński noted.
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