Giorgi Vashadze: We were given candidate status in response to the disinformation spread by Georgian Dream, who said “The candidate status is a trap", now I am asking them: Are they now trapped by receiving the status?

We were given the candidate status in response to the disinformation which Georgian Dream spread: "If we start a war, we will have the candidate status." "We are geographically far away and that's why they don't give us status", "The candidate status is a trap". Now I am asking these people a question: Are they now trapped by receiving the status? - said Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of Strategy Builder.

Vashadze responded to the Politico article, where Ivanishvili is referred to as an oligarch, and noted that the 2024 elections will be a referendum.

"Bidzina Ivanishvili is an agent of Russian influence, who is trying in every way to turn the development of Georgia towards Russia instead of Europe. The main message of this article is - friends, the 2024 elections are a referendum. If you support 41, you support Russia, if you support pro-Western opposition, in this case the Victory Coalition - we are moving towards the European Union at a fast pace. The entire civilized world is waiting for a decision on this. We were given the candidate status precisely for the Georgian people, who gathered in the street, we were given the candidate status in response to the disinformation which Georgian Dre­am spread: "If we start a war, we will have the candidate status." "We are geographically far away and that's why they don't give us status", "The candidate status is a trap". Now I am asking these people a question - who asked them to start a war, who told them that the status was a trap? Are they now trapped by receiving the status? This dark force has been fully exposed inside and outside the country and it is our task to send them away," said Vashadze.

Vashadze also responded to the issue of creating working groups in connection with 9 reservations and noted that Georgian Dre­am will not accomplish anything and reforms will be possible after the change of government.

"For me, the main working group now is the 2024 elections, through which we must send the pro-Russian government away. In 3 months we will fulfill the 9 conditions, and after that in February 2025, in March at the latest, we will start talking with the European Union in order to open accession negotiations with Georgia as well. We will fulfill all reform obligations much faster than Ukraine and Moldova, and Georgia will become a member of the European Union in an accelerated manner. We will be, in fact, the eastern gate of the European Union, and we will bring the unprecedented geopolitical decision made by the European Union to the end. Georgian Dre­am has not done anything and it will not do anything," said Vashadze.