Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on March 1 said the executive structures of the European Union should separate themselves from the “unfair decisions” of the European Parliament.
Kobakhidze responded to the amendment made in the European Parliament’s annual report on foreign and security policy by the initiative of deputy Anna Fotyga, which calls for the release of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.
Kobakhidze claimed that, especially in 2022, unhealthy views towards Georgia had been seen in the European Parliament, on which the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, had “expressed a very healthy position” at a closed meeting with representatives of the Georgian government. Kobakhidze said he hopes that repeating old precedents on the part of the European Parliament will not become a trend.
“The executive structures of the European Union should distance themselves from the European Parliament in such unfair decisions – I would reverse the call: help us so that we can help,” he said, going on to claim that “someone is trying” in the European Parliament to artificially lower the 85% support rate of Georgian society towards European integration.
Kobakhidze highlighted that if the executive structures distance themselves from the unjust statements of the European Parliament, it will only have a positive impact on public perception.
“I think it would be very good if the executive structures of the European Union distanced themselves from the European Parliament in such unfair decisions. First of all, this will have a positive impact on public perception. The 85% public support for EU integration in Georgia must remain strong. We are doing our best to better this, but the European Parliament is preventing us from doing so. Our call is – help us so that we can help. If the European Parliament does not help us, it will be difficult for us to help them. I will repeat once again, our task is to maintain the high public support for EU integration as much as possible,” Kobakhidze said.
