Vice PM: United National Movement party, its lobbyists "trying their best" to prevent Georgia receiving EU membership candidate status

The United National Movement opposition party and its Western lobbyists, specifically the European People's Party, are "trying their best" to prevent Georgia from obtaining the European Union membership candidate status, Thea Tsulukiani, the Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Culture Minister, said on Wednesday.

Tsulukiani was responding to a statement by the European People's Party on Georgia, suggested by the domestic UNM opposition, which said  “in recent years” the EPP had observed “with great concern” a trend of “democratic backsliding” in Georgia.

[N]ow our society is well aware that United National Movement and its lobbyists, in this case, specifically the European People's Party, which is considered a partner organisation of United National Movement, are trying their best not to allow the Georgian people, our country to receive the European Union membership candidate status,” Tsulukiani said.

The Vice PM called the EPP statement, which was released on Thursday, “quite absurd.”

We must do everything, not just the Government, but also the public, to be united, more cohesive in our spirit on the path to the European Union. […] We must redouble our efforts to ensure that the relevant European Union leaders make the only right decision - the only historically, culturally and legally justifiable decision - to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status,” Tsulukiani concluded.