People’s Power’s Macharashvili: When EU plans talks with Russia, it suddenly becomes ‘a different Russia’

“They tell us that even Russian tourists should not be allowed into the country, that we should stop trade with Russia, and now it turns out that negotiations with Russia should begin,” said Guram Macharashvili, Executive Secretary of the People’s Power party.

Macharashvili commented on a report by Politico, which stated that the European Union is considering appointing a special representative for negotiations with Russia, with Mario Draghi and Alexander Stubb named as potential candidates.

“If we said even a single word about Russia in relation to our country, the European Union would immediately label Georgia a ‘pro-Russian state’ and accuse Georgian society of being pro-Russian. But when the European Union itself plans to negotiate with Russia, suddenly it becomes ‘a different Russia,’” Macharashvili said.

According to him, the EU applies double standards that are clearly visible to society.

“They tell us that we should fight against Russia, that we should not allow Russian tourists into the country, that we should not trade with Russia — yet at the same time, they themselves trade with Russia and now are preparing to start negotiations. This is a double standard that society sees very well,” Macharashvili stated.