For Georgia’s Pilpani: Criticism from Europe is logical amid GD’s anti-EU rhetoric

“For a year now, Georgian Dream has openly embraced anti-European rhetoric and has been confronting Europe directly. Therefore, the criticism coming from Europe, which threatens Georgia’s European integration, is logical,” said Vika Pilpani, a member of Gakharia for Georgia party.

According to Pilpani, it is a significant achievement that Georgia remains on the European agenda.

She emphasized that this is the result of the efforts of people who have been peacefully protesting for a long time, as well as political groups, including Gakharia for Georgia, that are actively engaging with European partners.

“Recent developments once again confirm that despite Georgian Dream’s confrontation with Europe and its openly anti-European policies, Georgia fortunately remains on the agenda for now. This is a major achievement of those who, over the past year, have worked consistently with European partners—maintaining communication and reminding them that Georgia was a leading country within the ‘Associated Trio’ just a few years ago.

It is also the merit of citizens who have been peacefully protesting for a long time. Despite serious human rights violations, these people remain in the country and continue to fight for democracy. Thanks to these efforts, Georgia has not disappeared from the agenda,” Filfan said.

She noted that Georgian Dream’s dissatisfaction with critical statements from the West is nothing new, as the party has been openly opposing Europe and promoting anti-European rhetoric.

“So far, they do not dare to confront the United States directly, although this may happen soon. The most important task is to constantly remind our Western partners that Georgia was a frontrunner in the Associated Trio not long ago, and that years of progress have now been squandered.
When the time comes for concrete decisions regarding Georgia, I am confident that the long-standing struggle of the Georgian people will be taken into account. As long as Georgia remains on the agenda, diverse opinions must be heard—and this is exactly what we strive for. Just as differing views exist within the European Parliament, we want the same pluralism to exist in Georgia,” Piplani said.

She added that criticism from Europe is inevitable given the government’s actions.

“For a year now, Georgian Dream has openly opposed the West and adopted laws that fundamentally violate human rights and freedoms. This is a fact, not a subjective opinion. Under these circumstances, criticism that threatens Georgia’s European integration is entirely logical.
Over the past year, free citizens, political groups, and members of our team have actively worked with European partners to ensure that Georgia’s long-standing aspiration for European integration is not ignored and that visa-free travel is preserved. At this stage, visa liberalization is the only tangible element maintaining our relationship with Europe.
Taking all this into account, the fact that Georgia remains on the European agenda is, in itself, very good news,” Vika Piplani concluded.