Georgian FM criticises EU interference in domestic affairs, cites Georgia as example

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Wednesday expressed concern over what she described as repeated interference by Brussels in domestic affairs, using Georgia as a prime example.

When asked what message was sent to Georgia when the European Union said that it was unacceptable to interfere in the internal affairs of a foreign country and the European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas argued that they did not act like that, when it comes to relations with the United States, Botchorishvili noted that it would be a more accurate statement to say that they probably couldn't act like that.

“Recently, we have seen that, unfortunately, Brussels has repeatedly interfered in internal affairs, and Georgia is the clearest example of this. However, Brussels has not managed this well at all. Their involvement in Georgia’s domestic matters was carried out in very harsh ways, which did not produce good results and significantly damaged relations between Georgia and the EU”, the FM said.

“When it comes to the United States, a global player on which many international issues depend, the EU bureaucracy sends a completely different message and positions itself differently. This is the unfortunate reality of today’s Brussels, which we have discussed on multiple occasions. Criticism is often interpreted as an attack, though it is not meant as one”, she continued.

Botchorishvili emphasised that Georgia was a European country and the Government’s position had always been for the country to become part of the European Union.

“Unfortunately, in light of the recent events, it is very difficult to watch the processes taking place in the European Union. We hope that all this will change and that everything will turn around so that Brussels will no longer continue to ignore reality”, she concluded.