Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has commented on the statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, that the European Union supports the Georgian people but does not intend to support the Georgian government.
The head of government stated that Kallas “does not recognize Georgia’s sovereignty over its entire territory.”
“We have said more than once that there is the Russian Federation, which does not recognize Georgia’s sovereignty over 20% of its territory. And there is Kaja Kallas, who does not recognize Georgia’s sovereignty over 100% of the country’s territory. Of course, this is an absolutely shameful position. When the EU High Representative does not recognize the will of the Georgian people and acts against this will and the Georgian people themselves, it is a very disturbing phenomenon,” Kobakhidze stated.
He noted that the European bureaucracy has “reached the point of absurdity” and is acting not in accordance with its own interests, but under external influence.
Kobakhidze noted that Georgia plays a key role in ensuring the region’s transport connectivity, as it connects seven countries to the Black Sea and, consequently, to the Western space. As an example, he cited a ministerial meeting to which, according to him, representatives of seven countries were invited, but Georgia was not invited at the ministerial level.
“When you reach such absurdity, it means you are no longer capable of making independent decisions. And then they are surprised when we say that the European bureaucracy is fully controlled by external forces, rather than acting in accordance with its own sovereign interests,” the Georgian Prime Minister stated.
Kobakhidze pointed out that this is precisely what explains the decline of the EU’s share in the global economy. The politician stated that while in 2008 the EU accounted for about 30% of the global economy, today this figure has dropped to 17.5%.
He also stated that after losing access to cheap Russian resources and against the backdrop of the crisis in the Middle East, Europe has faced serious problems regarding transport connectivity with the East. According to him, Georgia remains the only effective route for maintaining the EU’s close trade and economic ties with the eastern direction.
As a reminder, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated that the EU has “practically no contacts with the Georgian government” and Brussels “does not want to support it,” but intends to support the Georgian people.