In my first months in Tbilisi I have focused on making clear our concerns about democratic backsliding and anti-Western rhetoric- British diplomat Gareth Ward evaluates the first months of his work as the ambassador of the United Kingdom in Tbilisi.

In an exclusive interview with "Interpressnews", the ambassador notes that the steps taken by the Georgian government this year have sharply worsened the country's relations with its western partners. According to him, official London is disappointed by the fact that the leaders of "Georgian Dream" have started propagating conspiracy theories and make assumptions that Western partners are undermining Georgia.

How the United Kingdom evaluates the foreign policy of the Georgian government and what are the prospects of the country joining the Euro-Atlantic alliances - the Ambassador of the United Kingdom Gareth Ward spoke in an exclusive interview with "Interpressnews".

You were appointed as the new ambassador of the United Kingdom to Georgia in July of this year. How would you evaluate the few months of working in Georgia? What are the main issues that you have had to work on, and what is your position as an official representative of the United Kingdom on the current situation in the country?

I started preparing for my posting in Georgia last year. At that time, I was optimistic about what we could achieve together. With Georgia pursuing a Euro-Atlantic course and a strong economic outlook, I hoped we could deepen our bilateral co-operation. The UK has been leading supporter of Georgia in terms of cyber security, defence and NATO integration, as well as a strong advocate of Georgia's sovereignty. I expected that we would be working together to increase Georgia's resilience and our mutual prosperity. But over the last year the Georgian Government has pursued a different course, and so in my first months in Tbilisi I have focused on making clear our concerns about democratic backsliding and anti-Western rhetoric. I hope for a change in approach from the Georgian Government that will allow me to return to my optimistic vision.

One of the most actual issues in Georgia is the country's foreign vector. There is already a widespread opinion that the government of Georgia has deviated from the western course. How does official London evaluate the foreign policy transformation of the Georgian government?

The UK-Georgia relationship, like Georgia's relationships with many other Western partners, has been damaged by the steps taken by the Georgian Government over the course of this year. We were concerned when Parliament adopted legislation to restrict civil society, especially after it had seen the strength of public opposition and undertaken not to reintroduce that legislation. We were disappointed when Georgian Dream leaders started to promote conspiracy theories and suggest that western partners were undermining Georgia. We were shocked when the Georgian Dream manifesto advocated a ban on opposition parties. For those reasons, for the first time in 10 years since we started our bilateral Wardrop Dialogue, we on the UK side decided to freeze these ministerial talks. We have not held our planned Defence Staff talks, and we have paused new cyber security programming. After the elections, whoever is in Government, we hope to see clear evidence of a return to the Euro-Atlantic track in order to rebuild trust and return to a close partnership.

European politicians often point out that the process of Georgia's European integration is stopped. What would you say about the fact that Georgia's prospect of joining Euro-Atlantic alliances has recently been pushed to the background?

The UK is not directly involved in Georgia's EU accession process, but we support that ambition and the reforms that should accompany it. The UK is a leading NATO ally, and has always been active to assist Georgia's NATO membership aspirations. The UK, alongside Romania, is the NATO contact point country for Georgia. We provide a wide range of military training and defence capacity building. But NATO is a political as well as military alliance. So the Georgian Government also needs to show commitment to an independent judiciary, free media, human rights and parliamentary oversight. That is why the NATO Secretary General expressed his concerns about the Foreign Influence Law earlier this year. A trajectory towards NATO is not compatible with measures which undermine democracy and human rights.

Less than two weeks are left before the parliamentary elections in Georgia. How would you assess the pre-election environment in the country?

The Georgian people should have the right to choose their Government in free, fair and competitive elections. We are providing 50 observers to ensure that the OSCE / ODHIR election monitoring mission is well resourced, as well as supporting several local election monitoring NGOs. They will play an important role at the upcoming elections and should give the Georgian people confidence that they can have their voice heard at the ballot box.

- On August 1, the Law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" came into force in Georgia. You have mentioned this law several times, but I would like to address this issue in a separate question. The law obliges non-governmental and media organizations to register with the National Public Registry Agency as an "organization carrying the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20% of their income is received from abroad. It is precisely because of its content that the law causes criticism from partners of Georgia. Could you explain, specifically, what do you consider incompatible with democracy when talking about the mentioned law?

We have made clear our view that the Foreign Influence Law damages NGOs and free media in Georgia. It is disproportionate and stifles free speech, as well as stigmatising those who are doing good for their communities.

On October 3, the Chairman of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, signed the law "On Family Values ​​and Protection of Minors", which you called "regrettable" and wrote on the social network that it "undermines fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly". What is the basis for thinking that it is a threat for the citizens of Georgia?

The Family Values Law discriminates against minority groups, and restricts freedom of expression. In my experience, Georgia is a tolerant society with an active NGO community and these laws go against those trends, as well as our common European values, for instance as set out in the Council of Europe.

Beka Beriashvili

Interpressnews