Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen slams EU Ambassador’s remarks as “deeply disturbing”

Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday described as “deeply alarming” a recent statement by Paweł Herczyński, the European Union’s Ambassador to Georgia, saying it referenced the possibility of “war and civil confrontation”.

As Kaladze noted during his conversation with the media, Georgia is a sovereign country that needs partners and not masters.

“It was a very alarming statement - there was talk of war and civil confrontation. It is very troubling to hear such things. If previously there were veiled calls for us to get involved in war, now he has come out directly and spoken about civil confrontation, effectively threatening the Georgian people and the state. This is very serious”, the official said.

Kaladze stressed that the ambassador should be summoned and asked specific questions.

“First and foremost, he must be summoned and specific questions must be asked, to which we need answers. Georgia has not deviated from anything. We are a democratic and free country. If anyone thinks they can dictate to us and make us act according to their whims, that will not happen. Everyone must clearly understand that as a sovereign state, we need friends and partners - not masters who wag their finger at us”, he said.

The official added that Georgia would continue to pursue policies serving only the interests of the country and its people.

“They should wag their finger at those they have done so to before. It will not work with us, because our policies serve solely the interests of the country and the Georgian people. Of course, we will always maintain a principled position”, Kaladze concluded.