“Oliver Varhelyi’s [Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement] more or less positive assessment is not an expression of the position of the European Commission (EC) and the European Union (EU),” Badri Japaridze, one of the Lelo leaders, said in an interview with the GPB First Channel’s Tavisupali Khedva [Free Vision] program.

“We must understand that Oliver Varhelyi’s more or less positive assessment of the economic situation in our country is, firstly, a diplomatic statement and secondly, a certain credit toward the ruling party, but it is not an expression of the position of the European Commission and the European Union. Mr. Varhelyi represents Hungary specifically, he is a representative of Orban’s party, so it will not be correct to generalize Oliver Varhelyi’s assessment, [suggesting that] this is the assessment of the European Commission in general,” Japaridze stated.

Badri Japaridze also noted that the Georgian Dream is not interested in implementing European recommendations.

“In all areas, with respect to all recommendations we have proposed an alternative that fully meets the requirements of our European friends, the requirements of the European Union, and I say with absolute responsibility that accepting them means carrying out these recommendations. The Georgian Dream is trying to formally adopt some legislation or another but adopting these laws does not mean the implementation of the recommendations. The implementation of the recommendations implies the implementation of reforms,” Japaridze stated.

In response to Giorgi Gvimradze’s question concerning what motivation the Georgian Dream might have to give up power of its own accord, which is what the opposition is demanding from the ruling party, Badri Japaridze stated that “the Georgian Dream should do so because democracy is based on this principle.”

“We can see that they are not doing this, and that is the point. Therefore, the government should be changed. Because any subsequent government that will come will definitely be a coalition government. This is inevitable,” Japaridze stated.

One of the leaders of Lelo also noted that the Georgian Dream is trying to create a tool for political persecution by adopting the law on-deoligarchization.

“If the European Union asks you to implement a certain recommendation – I am instructing you to implement a certain recommendation – whom should you ask first, how should I implement this recommendation? Obviously, the side that asked you [to do so]. In this case, you should turn to the European Union, but the point is precisely that the Georgian Dream does not want to do this,” Japaridze stated.

Asked whether he is optimistic about receiving candidate status, Badri Japaridze noted that “there is no reason for optimism under the Georgian Dream because the ruling party does not want to implement the recommendations and carry out important reforms in accordance with the requirements of the European Union, which were set out by the European Commission.”