Georgia’s ruling party official slams EU bureaucracy, backs Trump’s assessment

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Thursday strongly criticised what he perceives as foreign interference in Georgia's internal affairs, specifically referencing the actions of EU officials.

Kirtskhalia questioned “what US interference they are talking about”, arguing instead that interference had come from “high-ranking officials from various EU member states who stood with anti-government protesters on Rustaveli Avenue”, as well as from EU and foreign ambassadors who he claimed were “engaged in the pre-election campaign together with the opposition United National Movement party”.

In his interview with Imedi TV, the majority leader asserted that the Georgian Government does not intend to justify itself to “today's European bureaucracy”.

“They want our country to be a proxy state. They want our Government to be their puppet, obedient to their every command - enter a war if they say so, adopt a law if they demand it, withdraw it if they insist. They don’t care about the ECHR's rulings or about the country’s ratings. They tell you: we recognise something only if we want to. This is exactly the attitude President Trump is pointing to”, the official added.

Kirtskhalia argued that Brussels was fully aware of the work the Georgian Government was doing but “simply does not want to acknowledge it”.

“As for President Trump’s assessment of the EU, we have no reason to doubt it, because we have experienced this ourselves - and we are still experiencing these shameless statements today”, he concluded.