FM Botchorishvili: If relations with EU are stalled, sole reason is attitude we see from Brussels bureaucracy

“If Georgia’s relations with the European Union can be characterised as deadlocked, there is one reason alone, and that reason lies in the attitude exhibited by the Brussels bureaucracy,” Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili has told journalists.

Botchorishvili said that the attitude must change.

“First and foremost, we need to see a relationship built on respect for the government chosen by the Georgian people. The stability and peaceful development of this country depend on the Georgian Dream policies. That is precisely what Georgia’s government is working towards, because we believe it is the essential foundation upon which our EU integration can be built. Georgian Dream is doing nothing undemocratic. If anyone is behaving undemocratically, it is those who refused to enter parliament, rejected the will of the people, and all those who incite the conduct of political processes in the streets. That is what is undemocratic,” Botchorishvili stated.

Journalists also questioned the Minister about a meeting between the Opposition Alliance and British Ambassador Gareth Ward, at which, according to Alliance members, discussions took place regarding personal sanctions to be imposed on government representatives.

According to Botchorishvili, “The opposition alliances’ agenda is destructive and radical, and accordingly, they seek their partners outside the country. The opposition has never looked for partners within Georgia, among the Georgian people. They seek partners abroad, wherever their interests align in damaging Georgia’s government and the country’s national interests. Everything we are seeing is a direct expression of that.”