“We once again call on European structures and the European bureaucracy to talk to us,” said Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to journalists.

According to the head of government, they must overcome their Soviet-style approach and engage in dialogue, acting with European approaches.

“Regarding visa liberalization, we once again call on European structures and the European bureaucracy to talk to us. Don’t send us dispatches—talk to us. We are ready to discuss all issues, including, as you may recall, when they labeled the law as a ‘Russian law,’ a law that was directly aimed against revolutions. Back then, we offered the European bureaucracy, as well as the former American bureaucracy, to have a public discussion in front of society on all issues. If they could prove and substantiate that there was something wrong with this law, we were ready to back down. But there was no discussion—just a Soviet-style approach. The same is happening here—they send us dispatches. Let them overcome this Soviet-style approach, talk to us, and act with European approaches. This is our call to the European bureaucracy.

There is zero communication beyond the dispatches they send. This is how dispatches were sent from Soviet Moscow to Georgia in the past. Apart from this type of dispatch, there has been no communication with the European bureaucracy, which is a Soviet-style approach. I would wish for the European bureaucracy to overcome this Soviet approach. We are open to dialogue because we believe we are absolutely in the right. Whether it’s public or private, let them come and try to engage in communication,” Irakli Kobakhidze stated.

The Prime Minister noted that the European bureaucracy has no moral right to speak about violence from any side, given that “both the violence in the spring of 2023 and the violence in 2024 were incited by them.”

“They call it human rights protection when they demand we repeal a law that prohibits changing gender records. Regarding the transparency law, they labeled it a ‘Russian law’ and attached all sorts of accusations, with zero arguments and zero evidence. As for human rights, I want to remind the European bureaucracy that their ambassador incited the violence we saw on the streets of Tbilisi. The former American ambassador incited the violence we saw on the streets of Tbilisi at the time. In such circumstances, their talk about law enforcement using violence against protesters is completely out of place. They have no moral right to do so. Others may say these things, our ordinary citizens may say these things, but the European bureaucracy, unlike Georgia’s citizens, simply has no moral right to do so.

Our citizens can ask us these questions, criticize us for investigations not reaching their conclusion, whether for objective or subjective reasons, but the European bureaucracy, unlike Georgia’s citizens, has no moral right to speak about violence,” the Prime Minister stated.

Regarding the question of who will bear responsibility if the visa-free regime is revoked by the end of the year, Irakli Kobakhidze responded: “If the European bureaucracy cancels visa liberalization because, to put it bluntly, a man is a man, a woman is a woman, because gender records should not be changed, because two men should not adopt a minor, and so on, then what can I say, it would be a disaster.”