MEP Branislav Ondruš: Russia has occupied a fifth of Georgia for 20 years while EU traded with Moscow

Branislav Ondruš, a member of the European Parliament, on Wednesday warned that if decisive action is to be taken regarding Georgia’s critical situation, the EU must revisit the moment when this “fantastic candidate” for membership turned into an adversary, during a debate on Georgia’s democratic situation at the European Parliament.

Ondruš emphasised that meaningful change requires the European Union to act fairly, acknowledge mistakes it made three years ago, and initiate dialogue.

“The European Union has begun to influence their elections. It cannot supply the energy resources that Georgians need and currently purchase from Russia. They will face economic constraints. For twenty years, Russia has occupied one-fifth of Georgian territory, and during this period, the EU happily traded with Russia. The Russian army could enter Tbilisi in 48 hours because Georgia is not a NATO member. All the EU can do is avoid provoking Russia, as it cannot offer any security guarantees. Therefore, to achieve change, the EU must be fair, set just conditions, acknowledge its mistakes from three years ago, and start a dialogue. We are stronger together. Let us act without grand words that turn into grand gestures. Otherwise, Georgian men and women will become victims of our unrealistic foreign policy”, Ondruš concluded.