Georgia will not accept finger-wagging, external instructions - we defend our sovereignty, national interests, says ruling party Sec Gen

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said that Georgia remains open to dialogue with international partners, but stressed that it was unacceptable for external actors to speak to the country “with a wagging finger”, particularly in the context of recent recommendations from the Council of Europe.

Kaladze made the remarks while responding to a decision by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers calling on Georgian authorities to review certain legislation.

“In recent years, unprecedented pressure has been exerted on our country. We can talk about laws, which are of course part of this process, but the main reason - which I want our population to understand clearly - is how Georgia dared to make any decisions without them. We act based on the interests of our country. The direct duty of an elected government is to protect peace, families, children, and not allow innocent young people to be used to serve the interests of other, larger countries”, he said.

He questioned criticism directed at specific Georgian laws mentioned in the Council of Europe statement, asking why measures such as transparency regulations or laws related to family values were considered incompatible with European democratic standards.

“Let’s go through them individually - why has the transparency law become a problem, and why does it contradict European democracy? Why is the protection of family values a problem, and why does it contradict European integration? There are no answers to these questions. I repeat once again: the main issue is that Georgia has made independent decisions and is defending its sovereignty and independence. This is the unfortunate reality”, Kaladze noted.

Kaladze also reiterated that threats voiced in recent years by some members of the European Parliament regarding Georgia are absolutely unacceptable.

“Threats and blackmail that we hear on a daily basis in recent years are completely unacceptable. We have said many times that we are ready for dialogue, but it is unacceptable for anyone to speak to the Georgian people and the state with a wagging finger”, he stressed.

“Just because we are a small country with a small economy does not mean anything - we are a people with a great culture and traditions, and we are obliged to defend our national interests. If we recall the years when we followed external instructions and bowed to the finger-wagging of external actors, it cost our country very dearly and led us to major problems. As an elected government, we bear a huge responsibility before our population. Therefore, through our policies, we must protect the country, families, and the Georgian people”, Kaladze concluded.