On May 9 -Europe’s Day, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke at a special Europe Day gala concert at the Rustaveli Theater. The addresses resonated with pertinent issues such as Georgia’s alienation from the EU due to the Foreign Agents Law and the strengthening of authoritarian tendencies, as well as the May 8 violence. Although invited, no members of the ruling Georgian Dream conspicuously absent from the event.
EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński’s Speech
In his speech, recalling the historic decision of the European Commission to grant Georgia candidate status last year, the EU Ambassador lamented that although “European Union finally has widely opened the doors to Georgia, it is truly heartbreaking to see hesitation and second thoughts. To see confusion and divisions. Even worse to see intimidation and violence.”
The EU ambassador quoted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying that “Georgia is at the crossroads” and that “it should stay on the EU path.”
Ambassador Herczyński reiterated that the European Commission will decide this year whether to open the accession negotiations with the country, but for that to happen, he stressed, “Georgia needs to demonstrate a strong commitment to the EU values and deliver necessary reforms.” The EU Ambassador added: “This opportunity exists right now. You should not miss it. Please don’t miss it.”
Ambassador Herczyński expressed the European Union’s strong will to embrace Georgia: “We want Georgia to succeed in securing its peaceful and economically stable future. We want you to become part of our Union because we respect the proud Georgian people, who are peace-loving, talented and have the core EU values at heart.”
He stressed the importance of unity, saying in Georgia “Dzala ertobashia! [ძალა ერთობაშია] [meaning] Strength lies in unity!” He added that “next big EU enlargement will happen,” although it may happen with or without Georgia. “This only depends on all of you, on all Georgians,” the EU Ambassador said.
President Salome Zurabishvili’s Speech
In her speech, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, speaking of the fundamental values that Georgia shares with the European Union, also echoed the words of the European Commission President von der Leyen, saying: “Georgia is at the crossroads between its European future and its Russian past”.
The President praised the Georgian people, its civil society and its youth for moving towards Europe, but noted that Georgia is now witnessing a lot of violence. She said that this violence is being used against “the collective wish of the nation for independence […] against nation when it feels drawn back to the Russian past…” She mentioned the “beatings of opponents, blacklists, denunciations, repressions” that the country is recently experiencing, stressing that such means “have nothing in common with declared European objectives and look very similar to those of authoritarian regimes that strive to eliminate all others and accuse them of serving foreign interests.”
The President added that Georgia’s partners that have supported its independence, institutions and development, are now also subjected to violence when they are accused of “fomenting destabilization, fueling war and wanting confrontation.”
“The Georgian nation would not be here today after some 26 centuries if it was not wise; because it is wise, it will not run into provocations, it will not accept to be thrown to the confrontations; but it will not surrender, it will go to the end and it will win its European path through free and fair elections that it will and I will defend [that] to the last moment,” the President concluded.
More to follow…