Georgian Parliament official: no trace of Europe left in EU bureaucracy

Archil Gorduladze, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s legal affairs committee, on Tuesday sharply criticised the European Union’s leadership, claiming that the current bureaucracy has abandoned fundamental European values.

The statement came in response to remarks made by the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas, who recently stated: “We support the Georgian people, but not the Georgian government, which is heading in the wrong direction”.

In his remarks, Gorduladze characterised such rhetoric as a direct assault on the core principles of Western civilisation. He argued that separating the will of the people from their elected government undermines the very essence of democracy.

“There is no trace of Europe left in EU bureaucracy, and these statements clearly demonstrate that. Kaja Kallas suggests that there are separate entities - the people on one hand and the elected government on the other. This undermines the fundamental principle on which Western civilisation is built and which forms the basis of democracy, namely that the people make decisions and elect their government”, he said.

“If she believes that someone from outside should be appointed, with ‘authority’ written on their door, that will not happen. When such statements are made, they fuel skepticism toward the European Union and the West, which is certainly not our goal. These statements disregard the will of the Georgian people. Their choice is being trampled, while someone from outside claims to know better than the Georgian people who should govern and take responsibility for the country”, the official continued.

Gorduladze concluded by emphasising that this was an example of interference and a rejection of democracy.

“It is also an indication that, in reality, no international order exists anymore”, he said.