Georgian PM claims EU officials have “recognised legitimacy” of new Gov’t, elections

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday claimed Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, had “recognised the legitimacy” of Georgia’s new Government and parliamentary elections through their statements, which on Sunday said the bloc “regrets the Georgian leadership's shift away from the EU and its values”.

Kobakhidze was asked about his Government’s plans for rebooting relations with the EU and the concerns expressed by the officials regarding the ongoing protests in Georgia against the Government’s decision to suspend negotiations for opening of EU accession talks until 2028.

In his response, the PM called the statements by von der Leyen and Kallas “absolutely one-sided”.

He also claimed “violent groups of protesters” had “initiated attacks on the Parliament building and police officers” during the protests, adding the Interior Ministry had “not responded until the violence began”, and stressing rally participants were “responsible for having started the violence”, while the Ministry had “reacted” to it.

He also said “omission of these facts” in the statements would be “certainly perceived as a green light by violent groups to continue the aggression”.

In comments on rebooting relations with the EU, the official said “justice is the key to resetting the relations” with the bloc, claiming “unfair statements” had “hindered the restoration of ties”, but adding that “once justice is established, the relations will improve”.