Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili reflected on the meeting with EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski, and commented on the ambassador’s statements regarding Georgia in Brussels.
According to the minister, despite the aforesaid diplomat’s clarifications, “facts and actions remain facts and actions.” She added that “the picture we see today is unacceptable.”
Botchorishvili emphasized that it is the Georgian authorities who best see and understand the crossroads the country is at and how much they do not need a “dark past” or such threats.
“No one can understand the choice our country faces better than Georgians or the government elected by the people. The will of the Georgian people is expressed in the election of the country’s leadership. The government represents the will of the very people that the European Union is so concerned about.
Therefore, it is the [Georgian] government that senses best what kind of crossroads Georgia is at, how important it is to prevent risks and stability for the country's security. We [i.e. Georgia] do not need the encouragement of division in society and radical agendas. We do not need a dark past and similar threats," the Georgian FM said.
Turning to the question of what exactly was threatening in Herczynski's statement, Botchorishvili said that everything that provokes polarization in society is unacceptable.
“The statements, actions, and steps that are being taken by Brussels, and the attitude that we see towards the Georgian authorities, are unacceptable and are aimed at dividing the [Georgian] society. Everything that sows polarization in our society is unacceptable, as well as the encouragement of a radical agenda is unacceptable," she noted.
When asked whether she had heard Herczynski’s explanations, the Georgian foreign minister replied that she expects from Brussels the treatment that Georgia deserves.
“No matter what explanation we hear, the facts and actions remain unchanged. The picture we see is unacceptable. Georgia is a conscientious partner [of the EU]. It has not taken any steps towards the European Union that could harm the interests of the EU. Therefore, we also expect Brussels to show the treatment that Georgia deserves as a conscientious partner. At the moment, we do not see this, and this is precisely what explains the steps that we are witnessing.
If we want to return relations to normal, then at least mutual respect is necessary, and these relations must be based on trust, while such statements simply undermine that trust,” the Georgian foreign minister concluded.
