Ruling Georgian Dream party Sec Gen: we need partners, not masters

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday criticised remarks made by certain European officials regarding Georgia’s internal political decisions, calling them “completely unacceptable”.

In his remarks over the discussions about Georgia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Kaladze responded to calls for snap parliamentary elections in the country.

“It is categorically unacceptable when some European bureaucrat disapproves of the choice made by the Georgian people and makes such statements”, Kaladze said.

“We are an independent, sovereign country. We need partners and friends - not masters”, he continued.

The official emphasised that Georgia shared European values and was committed to friendship and partnership, but not at the expense of national interests.

“We have repeatedly stated that the Georgian Government is ready to deepen partnerships and cooperation, but this should never come at the cost of compromising our homeland’s interests. The condescending, domineering tone of certain officials is unacceptable”, he continued.

Kaladze further criticised what he described as double standards from some European politicians.

“What’s happening today from certain EU bureaucrats has nothing to do with European or democratic values. We fight for a European future because we care about values - not specific bureaucrats who may be here today and gone tomorrow. The Council of Europe is not our superior - the people of Georgia are”, the ruling party official added.

He went on to reference past incidents involving foreign political figures commenting on elections in their own countries.

“When the US made statements about elections in Germany, German politicians said foreign interference was absolutely unacceptable. Yet during our elections, the German Ambassador crossed all boundaries. Similar interference came from other European bureaucrats”, he pointed out.

Kaladze concluded by highlighting the recent Romanian case where a presidential hopeful was removed from elections over social media support and campaign spending, drawing parallels to attempts to influence Georgia’s judiciary.

“Such double standards are unacceptable. We will not tolerate this kind of political manipulation, and we will not bow down to it”, he concluded.