Such an assessment was not unexpected. Everyone understands that EU membership and moving forward on the steps towards this goal are subject to certain conditions - it was a heavy and sad report. This means distancing from the civilized world and Europe, and no one should have the idea that by distancing from the EU, getting closer to the US is possible, - the leader of European Georgia, Gigi Tsereteli, said on Palitranews, thereby responding to the European Commission report, according to which Georgia may lose its visa-free travel status with Europe.

According to him, all countries that are currently members of the EU have gone through the same path that Georgia is now going through and received the benefits that Georgians are leaving the country for.

"It was an extremely difficult and sad report, it means distancing ourselves from the civilized world and Europe. No one should have an idea that by distancing ourselves from the European Union, it is possible to get closer to the US. We hear a lot of lies, but there is no talk of "we have accomplished something." They have unleashed a war, sometimes verbal, sometimes with certain decisions, along with remarks and criticism. The other side is moral and ethical. If someone says anything critical - everyone is an enemy and is controlled by the "Deep State", including the local media, the opposition, and the critically minded civil society. We are in this incomprehensible information bacchanalia, when ambassadors and high-ranking officials are cursed, disinformation is spread, and insults are made. As long as we are in such a situation, there is no prospect of anything. This concerns not only Europe, the same thing is happening with the US, we remember the letters sent and the ambassador's reactions. It is sad and difficult when we are in such a difficult situation. We must understand what the result of this could be - relations will weaken mutually, programs will be reduced, and all this will seriously affect the country's economy. The government has opened the door and is inviting representatives of countries such as the Chinese, Iranians, and citizens of Arab countries, thereby trying to show that replacement is possible,” said Gigi Tsereteli.

According to him, Georgia’s visa policy with Asian and Middle Eastern countries may be another additional argument for Europe to suspend visa liberalization, because it poses a threat to Europe in terms of migration.

“The Georgian government does not implement recommendations and does the opposite. There are also various nuances for citizens of other countries who may become immigrants in Europe via Georgia. Migration is one of the main problems in the world. Therefore, the country’s internal visa policy may be an additional argument as a threat to Europe. We are on an extremely difficult threshold, while one of the greatest tools of our integration is free movement. The new regulations that were adopted at the end of December allow them to approach this issue much more flexibly,” he said.

As for other issues, Gigi Tsereteli also spoke about the release of Zura Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, and positively assessed his willingness to meet with representatives of different parties to discuss a unified strategy.

“Zura Japaridze’s release is positive news. We have seen such a plot in films, when the prison doors open and a person comes out, but outside he stands alone. Despite the explanations, the fact is that Zura came out on the street in a T-shirt. Zura’s speech is the hope of all imprisoned politicians and prisoners of conscience that they too will soon leave prison.

As for unity, this topic has been discussed, this issue is not new, although Zura has resumed this process. He has not yet specified many things. He will have meetings and will express his opinions, but let’s not put a big burden on Zura, he must decide for himself how much burden he will take on. If he manages to put political parties, civil groups and individuals on one side so that we do not lose our freedom, statehood and do not surrender to Russia, that will be good, but difficult. Also, we should not approach this issue in a super-idealistic way, that everyone will unite, this will not work, although it is possible for many critical masses to come together.

We need to clearly develop the rules of relations, and goals must also be established. Zura has the moral right to do this, because he has just been released from prison and has had time to understand the processes. He can talk to people. These processes will probably start and we will see how far they will go,” said Gigi Tsereteli.