Guram Macharashvili: Visa liberalization is a friendly gesture, and if you use this as a tool to impose sanctions, what friendly relationship are we talking about? - we have not violated the terms on which we received visa liberalization
Visa liberalization is a friendly gesture from both sides, and if you use this visa liberalization, the opening of negotiations, the candidate status as a tool to impose sanctions, what friendly relationship are we talking about? - Guram Macharashvili, MP from the People's Power Party, told journalists.
According to him, the issue of a possible suspension of visa liberalization is a matter of manipulation.
Macharashvili recalls the statement of the President of the United States of America that "the European Union is treating America unfairly" and asks a question - "After this, why are we surprised that the bureaucracy of the European Union will treat Georgia unfairly?!"
"The unfortunate fact is that the EU first used the candidate status for trade and manipulation. After obtaining the candidate status, the mechanism of opening negotiations was used for manipulation. Now visa liberalization is becoming a means of manipulation. We must tell the public once again that we have not violated the terms on which we received visa liberalization, therefore, in general, why is this issue on the agenda, including from the National Movement? I will tell you why. Precisely because of the reason for which we were not give the candidate status, because it turned out that we were ahead of Ukraine and Moldova in all data, but they were given [status] and we were not. In other words, it was a means of manipulation. Georgian society understands this very well. Visa liberalization means that this is a friendly gesture from both sides, and if you use this visa liberalization, the opening of negotiations, candidate status as a pretext to impose sanctions, what friendly relations are you talking about?! I will remind you of the words of the President of the United States and I think this will prove everything - the President of the United States says that the European Union is treating the United States unfairly and now why are we surprised that the same bureaucracy of the European Union, unfortunately, treats Georgia unfairly?!" - said Macharashvili.
