Parliament official: “baseless” messages of some MEPs “difficult to take seriously”

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Thursday alleged there was a group of MEPs in the European Parliament that acted under the guise of being supporters of Georgia while “sparing no effort” to undermine the country’s European future.

Botchorishvili was commenting on the resolution on the implementation of the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday.

• European Parliament approves resolution on implementation of Georgia-EU Association Agreement

In her remarks over the matter, the Parliament official thanked all MEPs who “are sincere supporters of Georgia, who want Georgia to become a worthy member of the European Union, and who sincerely express their support for Georgia”. She also stressed Georgian authorities valued “all opinions and recommendations” of EU institutions that “serve the democratic progress and a better future for Georgian citizens in the European Union”.

At the same time, it is difficult to take seriously the messages of the European Parliament which are devoid of any basis and serve to create and strengthen false perceptions about Georgia based on deliberate damaging campaigns. The process that we have been observing in the European Parliament in relation to Georgia in recent months raises many legitimate questions and gives the opportunity to draw unfavourable conclusions”, Botchorishvili said.

She stressed it was “heartbreaking” to see the attempt of “narrow groups” to “seize” the “important” European institution in order to pursue their own political interests and goals.

Unfortunately, today there is a group in the European Parliament that acts under the guise of being supporters of Georgia while spares no effort to undermine the European future of Georgia, to damage the image of the Georgian state by active participation in disinformation campaigns [and] to ignore the achievements of the Georgian Government, on which our European future should be built in accordance with the will of the Georgian people”, she claimed.

The Parliament official also said the motivation for the alleged efforts was “a matter of separate discussion”, but added it raised “many questions” and “damaged the image” of the European institutions.

The interests behind all of this were revealed by the debate initiated before the adoption of the report, which was the best example of how all [possible] resources are used for the success of the operation Freedom for Misha [a reference to imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili], while manipulating with European humanity and packaging this operation as a ‘humanitarian mission’”, she added. 

In her criticism, Botchorishvili also emphasised Europe and European values were “much deeper than our brief activities on the political stage”.

Dignity is the jewel that adorns every person or institution the most. Once again, thanks to those people who, despite everything, tried not to waste Georgia's efforts on the path of European integration and reflected them in the resolution. Thanks to those for whom Georgia is more than one man's adventure. Thanks to those for whom the European values are not fake and who do not look at the European Union through the prism of the Soviet Union”, she concluded.