MEP Steffen Kotré warns against EU-funded regime change in Georgia

During a debate on the democratic situation in Georgia at the European Parliament, a member of the European Parliament Steffen Kotré on Wednesday said that Georgia was a sovereign country and not a colony of the European Union.

“I want to remind my colleagues that Georgia is a sovereign country and not an EU colony”, Kotré said, stressing that the European Union must respect the principle of sovereign equality.

According to the MEP, the Georgian people chose the ruling Georgian Dream party over the opposition because former president Mikheil Saakashvili was a dictator who was leading the country toward catastrophe, while the Georgian Dream was guiding Georgia toward peace and development.

“The EU must respect sovereign equality. We have no right to overthrow Georgia’s government or to send millions of euros from European taxpayers to finance a regime-change operation. Georgians have the right to choose, and we need Georgia as a partner”, Kotré concluded.

The debate on the democratic situation in Georgia featured both critical and supportive statements regarding the country’s authorities.