Georgian FM says “hypocrisy” to lament so-called “democratic backsliding” in Georgia while simultaneously encouraging radical forces that reject elections

Speaking at the 135th session of the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe, Georgian foreign minister Maka Botchorishvili on Friday said it was “hypocrisy” to lament a so-called “democratic backsliding” in Georgia while simultaneously encouraging radical forces that reject elections.

“It is hypocrisy to lament a so-called ‘democratic backsliding’ while simultaneously encouraging radical forces that are rejecting elections; to claim ‘support for the Georgian people’ while demonstratively distancing oneself from the government elected by those very people; to speak of the rule of law while at the same time seeking ways to circumvent law and justice”, she said.

“To criticise a country occupied by Russia for the perceived insufficiency of its resistance to Russia, and to casually attach the label of ‘pro-Russian’, is no longer a political assessment - it is a simplification of reality and an evasion of responsibility”, the FM concluded.