We are afraid that the President's visit and her statements will damage our aspiration to get the candidate status - it would be better if the President does not have a wide arena when making such damaging statements, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters, thus responding to the statement of the presidential administration that "Putin's decree on the resumption of flights came into force on 15 May and the Georgian Government gave its consent on the same day, but it has not yet given its consent to the President's visit to Brussels.

Kobakhidze called the mentioned statement speculation and said that if the Government believes that the visit of the President will not be beneficial to Georgia's candidate status, it has the full right granted by the constitution not to give consent to the visit.

"The President should not speculate. What does the President's visit to a foreign country has to do with the unilateral restoration of flights by Russia? This is an absolutely incomprehensible comparison. This is just speculation. It is unfortunate when the President is speculating. All this is regrettable. As for giving consent to her visit, this is the exclusive right of the Government of Georgia. If the Government believes that the visit of the President will not be beneficial for Georgia to receive the candidate status, the Government has the full right granted by the constitution not to give consent to the President’s visit. We are afraid that the President's visit and her statements will damage our aspiration to get the candidate status. Listen to the President's statements in the building of the Parliament of Georgia, when she delivered a report, and you will agree that these statements directly contradict Georgia's desire to receive candidate status in December.

The Government has not given the permission yet, it may give it later - it is the prerogative of the Government, but it would be logical for me if the Government is afraid (fear is a conditional word) of the President's wrong statements. We have heard statements by the President that are detrimental to the candidate status. When she states that the Parliament only formally implements the recommendations and no steps are actually taken, it is damaging. It is better that she does not have a wide arena when making such damaging statements in order not to damage the process of receiving the candidate status", said Irakli Kobakhidze.