We need friends, not masters: Kaha Kaladze calls on Foreign Ministry to summon EU ambassador over 'dark time' remarks

The General Secretary of the ruling party 'Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia' and Mayor of Tbilisi, Kaha Kaladze, has called on the Republic's Foreign Ministry to summon EU Ambassador Pawel Herczyński over his statement that the country faces a 'dark time.'

Earlier, Herczyński told journalists that the EU must not allow the Georgian people to 'return to violence, civil war, poverty, corruption, and dark times.'

'We have heard outrageous statements. There was talk of war, of civil confrontation. <...> If before someone secretly urged us toward war, now they have started openly speaking about civil confrontation and war. He (Herczyński - ed. TASS) is directly threatening Georgians and the Georgian state. First and foremost, the ambassador must be summoned [to the Foreign Ministry] and asked specific questions,' Kaladze said.

The politician emphasized that Georgia has not deviated from its path. 'We need friends, not masters who will point fingers at us. <...> This approach will not work with us. In our politics, we serve the interests of our country,' he said.

In May 2024, the Georgian Parliament adopted the law 'On Transparency of Foreign Influence,' and the country's relations with the EU and the US began to deteriorate. The European Union has repeatedly called on Georgian authorities to abandon this law, but the leaders of the ruling party 'Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia' have consistently insisted that the law's purpose is to ensure transparency of financial flows of NGOs operating in Georgia, some of which have attempted to organize a revolution in the country. On October 26, 2024, in the parliamentary elections, the 'Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia' party secured victory and obtained 89 out of 150 seats in the legislative body. In November 2024, 'Georgian Dream' decided to suspend discussions with the EU on opening negotiations for membership in the union until 2028 and to reject all budgetary grants from the European Union.

Source: TASS