HRVP Kallas: Sanctions on officials who use violence against protestors are pending; no consensus reached

“We have been trying to put sanctions on those government officials who are using violence against peaceful protestors and the like in Georgia,” Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, responded to a question of whether any concrete steps were planned regarding Georgia.

According to the HRVP, not all member states of the European Union are unanimous on the issue of Georgia.

“So far, we don’t have everybody on board when it comes to member states, but we keep working on finding different ways to address these issues,” Kaja Kallas has responded.

Answering the same question, Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, has stated that “the concrete measures are, of course, in the hands of the member states.”

“In November, we will hopefully get a new visa suspension mechanism, which will enable us to do some further steps. I have a very important message for the citizens of Georgia, especially because their government is telling the citizens that they are bringing them into the EU.

Dear Government of Georgia, you are not bringing your people to the EU. You are bringing your people away from the EU. If you are serious about the EU, then listen to your people and stop putting the opposition leaders and journalists or people who think differently from you into jail. Then we can talk,” Marta Kos stated.