The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting with Helen Sand Andresen, Norwegian Ambassador to Georgia. The MFA called the Ambassador over her statement on Mtavari Arkhi TV about awarding Prize for Democracy and Human Rights to ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili by Conservative Party in Norway.

Helen Sand Andresen said to be “stunned,” as she “personally found it unacceptable” to compare Mikheil Saakashvili and terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.

At the meeting, First Deputy Foreign Minister explained to the Ambassador the Georgian side’s negative attitude over the award due to the human rights violation cases and abuse of power during Saakashvili’s rule, adding the move does not contribute to the depolarization.

The Norwegian Ambassador, in her turn, clarified that the award does not represent the position of the Norwegian government and is an initiative of a particular party.

According to the Foreign Ministry, at the meeting, the parties reconfirmed the friendly relations between Georgia and the Kingdom of Norway, having expressed their readiness to promote the development of cooperation between the countries in the future.