EU Ambassador on elections in Georgia
The European Union Ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, expressed hope that Georgia will avoid the scenario seen in Belarus, where the EU did not recognize the elections. Herczyński stated that “this is the worst-case scenario,” adding, “I hope it doesn’t come to that in Georgia.”
Herczyński also echoed the EU’s stance, noting that the Union is closely monitoring developments and is prepared to respond. He mentioned that “all options are being considered,” including the temporary suspension of visa-free travel.
Press Secretary of the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, told POLITICO that the European Union is closely monitoring the developments in Georgia and is ready to respond accordingly. He mentioned that all options are being considered, including the temporary suspension of visa liberalization.
“The European Union did not recognize the elections in Belarus — I hope this won’t happen in Georgia”
“We hope that the election campaign will proceed peacefully and without violence, and that the elections will be free and fair. This is how we want the situation to unfold.
But if the elections are not free and fair, we will have to take measures.
We have done this in the past with other countries, including Belarus. We did not recognize the elections in Belarus, which were stolen, and we imposed large-scale countermeasures, including sanctions. This is the worst-case scenario, and I hope it won’t come to that in Georgia,” said Paweł Herczyński.
He also explained that, based on the current situation, if the current trajectory continues, “most likely” there will be no recommendation to open negotiations with Georgia.
“Based on the current situation and if the current trajectory persists, I believe there is a high likelihood that there will be no recommendations to begin [EU accession] negotiations.
According to the decisions of EU leaders, Georgia’s path to Euro-integration has been halted. We expect the ruling party to clarify its true intentions.
I understand that Georgia is in an election period and the main focus is on the elections, but we hope that there will be a new government — one that wins and is genuinely committed to aligning Georgia with the European Union — to make up for lost time, as nearly a year has been wasted.
Due to well-known events [specifically, the adoption of the ‘foreign agents’ law], this process was halted, while with Ukraine and Moldova, it accelerated. Thus, the gap that was supposed to close has widened.
We hope that after the elections, we can resume the work of bringing Georgia back on the path toward joining the European Union,” said the ambassador.
“We have stated that all options are being considered, including the temporary suspension of visa liberalization”
“The European Union, at the level of presidents and prime ministers, has expressed concern over the trajectory of events in Georgia. We are genuinely worried that, instead of reforms that would bring Georgia closer to the European Union, these events are taking place.
Unfortunately, the developments of recent months have widened the gap between Georgia and the European Union. We have stated that all options are on the table, including the temporary suspension of the visa-free regime, depending on how events unfold.
We are monitoring the situation closely and hope that the election campaign will be peaceful and free of violence, with fair and transparent elections. We want events to unfold this way, but if the elections are not free and fair, we will have to take action.”