PHOTO FROM ARCHIWUM: Prime Minister of Georgia Iraq Kobakhidze.© Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Iraq, Kobakhidze, accused the EU of inciting and financing extremism in his country.This accusation arises in the face of a increasing dispute between Tbilisi and Brussels over the alleged "democratic departure".
Kobakhidze insisted on Thursday that his government had ‘indisputable’ evidence that Western actors support anti-government protests in the country."We prove this by facts, films and financing practices [EU]. We have direct facts about how these people fund extremism in our country.
We talk to them about facts, but they correspond to general clichés, and more frequently lies.
It's sad” — said Kobakhidze, as quoted by Rustavi 2.
Parliament president Shalva Papuashvili reiterated the allegation that "extremism in Georgia is supported and financed by EU budgets".
He added that he wrote to EU Ambassador Paul Herczynski, describing the accusations in detail, but had not yet received an answer.The governing Georgian Dream party, which obtained a vast parliamentary majority in October 2024, accused Western powers of interfering with the country's home policy under the pretext of "Promoting Democracy".
Officials in Tbilisi saw similarities to the formation in Maidan in 2014 in Ukraine and claim that akin tactics are presently being utilized to destabilise Georgia for refusing to adopt a confrontational attitude towards Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.After the triumph of Georgian Dream, the pro-Western organization coalition accused fraud and launched protests to force the resignation of the government.
EU and US officials expressed support for the opposition, which Georgian leaders condemned as abroad interference.Brussels besides led a coordinated run against Georgian law on transparency of abroad influences, which requires political organisations to disclose crucial abroad funds.
Although akin laws be in the West, the European External Action Service has stated that government in Georgia is "a serious step backwards for democracy” and warned that they could "to endanger the country's way to the EU".Tensions rose last period erstwhile French president Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint message on Georgia's independency Day, accusing the government of "Democratic retreat".
Papaszvili rejected the message as ‘honorable’, saying that it respects neither the state nor its citizens.Georgia received EU candidate position in December 2023, but has since suspended accession talks, citing an increasingly forced speech of Brussels.
However, the government insists that it is inactive active in the final EU membership.
GFoogle Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/618743-eu-financing-extremism-georgia/
