Georgian PM: US National Security Strategy echoes our long-standing warnings about EU

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said that the newly presented US National Security Strategy reflects problems in the European Union that his government has been discussing for years.

According to the Prime Minister, the trends outlined in the document are “extremely severe”, encompassing political shifts as well as setbacks in democratic standards and human rights across Europe.

“Media freedom is one of the most striking examples. The situation around the BBC also confirms that media freedom is facing serious challenges across Europe”, Kobakhidze said, adding that Europe is also experiencing “very negative” economic trends.

He emphasised that it is important for Georgia that these tendencies in Europe “stop and turn in a positive direction”.

However, Kobakhidze argued that European institutions, bureaucracies, and individual governments have “lost so much sovereignty” that reversing the situation will be difficult.

“Despite this, we must still maintain hope”, the Prime Minister concluded.