ERR — Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) on Wednesday did not say if she approved Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna’s appearance at an anti-government protest in Georgia but said it was not discussed with the coalition beforehand.

Kallas made the comments in response to a question from Center MP Lauri Laats, who asked if she thought it was appropriate behavior and if it had been pre-agreed.

Tsahkna did not discuss the issue with the government, the prime minister said.

“Did the foreign minister discuss attending the protest? No, he didn’t discuss it, but what is clear is that from the moment we granted EU candidate status to Georgia, the kind of steps they are taking with these reforms, going in the wrong direction, it is no longer a domestic Georgian issue, it is actually the credibility of the whole European Union that is at stake here,” Kallas said.

“I will not judge the performance. Of course, the style is up to each person, but the fact that the foreign ministers, then the foreign ministers of the Baltic countries and the Icelandic foreign minister, went to Georgia to express solidarity with the Georgian people – I think that is the right thing to do, to actually show that Europe is on the side of the Georgian people’s choices,” she said.

The foreign ministers of Estonia, Iceland, and Lithuania addressed the anti-transparency rally participants on Rustaveli Avenue on 15 May. Margus Tsahkna stated that “every nation has the right to decide where they belong, what values they are sharing and what kind of values they are standing for. And I know all together with you, Georgian people, we are sharing the same values about democracy and freedom.”