Georgian Parliament official slams Kaja Kallas’ remarks as “insolent”, crossing “every possible boundary”

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday denounced EU High Representative Kaja Kallas for what he called an unprecedentedly arrogant statement, accusing her of implying that Georgia lacked the right to criticise the European Union while the United States enjoyed that privilege.

In his remarks, Samkharadze described Kallas’ differentiation - based solely on Georgia’s candidate status - as crossing all acceptable lines in diplomatic discourse.

“I do not recall such an insolent statement ever being made by a high-ranking European official. Georgia and the United States have different weight in international relations, but to say that the United States can criticise the European Union while Georgia does not have that right is probably crossing every possible boundary”, he said.

European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas noted that while some aspects of the US National Security Strategy may be unsettling, the United States did not face the challenge of seeking EU membership, implying that Georgia’s situation is different.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday responded to comments made by European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas, expressing concern over perceived restrictions on Georgia’s ability to voice its opinions while pursuing EU membership.