Ambassador of the EU to Georgia Pavlo Gerchynsky said that what has been happening in the country for the past 12 days is "absolutely incompatible with the relations that the European Union had with Georgia."
Points of attention
- The European Union is gearing up to impose tough sanctions on the Georgian authorities due to their anti-democratic activities which conflict with democratic values and jeopardize the privileged relations between the EU and Georgia.
- Ambassador of the EU to Georgia Pavlo Gerchynskyi emphasized the need for unanimity among the 27 EU member states to introduce sanctions against Georgia, highlighting the severity of the situation and the ongoing discussions in Brussels.
- The recent violent dispersal of protests in Georgia has escalated tensions, with numerous journalists and opposition figures being attacked and injured, raising concerns about the level of violence and brutality in the country.
- The protests in Tbilisi and across Georgia were triggered by Prime Minister Iraklii Kobakhidze's announcement of a pause in EU accession negotiations, citing offensive remarks by certain European politicians and bureaucrats, further fueling the anti-government sentiment.
- The European Union's stance on the situation in Georgia reflects its commitment to upholding democratic values and human rights, with the possibility of imposing sanctions serving as a clear message against anti-democratic actions.
The EU is preparing tough sanctions against the anti-democratic government of Georgia
Gerchynsky emphasized that "all measures" regarding the Georgian authorities are being discussed in Brussels.
All measures are on the table. For many years, relations with the European Union were privileged in Georgia. We offered Georgia an association agreement, a free trade agreement, and an agreement on visa-free travel. In the end, Georgia was granted the status of a candidate for membership.
Pavlo Herchynsky
Ambassador of the EU to Georgia
The European diplomat also commented on the issue of possible sanctions against Georgia. But he noted that this requires unanimity in this decision from the 27 EU member states.
I know that work is underway on the preparation of sanctions. Achieving unanimity depends on all 27 capitals. I think, I hope, that it is difficult for any EU capital to ignore the level of violence, the level of brutality. Let's see if the sanctions will be submitted on Monday, the preparatory work is really underway.
Dispersal of protests in Georgia: what is known
Late in the evening of December 7, "unclemen" attacked the film crew of the opposition TV Pirveli — journalist Maka Chikhladze and her cameraman Giorgi Shetsyruli.
Also, "aunties" near the office of the "For Change" coalition beat party member Koba Khabazi, and also physically abused another party member.
It became known about the beating of the actor Georgy Maharadze.
In addition, it is reported that more than 56 journalists were injured to varying degrees during the protests in Tbilisi. One of the harsh episodes is the attack on Guram Rohav, a journalist of the opposition television channel Formula TV.
Low-level media reports about the inhumane treatment of detained rally participants by the police and the illegal actions of the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia during the dispersal of the protest.
Protests in Tbilisi and throughout Georgia began after Prime Minister Iraklii Kobakhidze announced a pause in the EU accession negotiations on the evening of November 28. According to him, Tbilisi will postpone the start of negotiations with the European Union until the end of 2028, and will join the EU by 2030. Kobahiddze explained this decision as "blackmail" offensive to Georgia by some European politicians and bureaucrats.
