Georgia was a beacon of democracy - seeing Georgian democracy dismantled and Russian influence growing stronger is very bad for Georgia, the Georgian people, and the entire region, Estonia’s Ambassador to NATO, Jüri Luik, said in an interview with Independence Avenue Media.

He expressed hope that Georgia would return to the democratic path supported by the majority of the Georgian people.

“The Black Sea, especially now as we are witnessing Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, is one of the key strategic locations. Clearly, for many reasons, this is a difficult environment. Due to the Montreux Convention, NATO does not have free access to the Black Sea. Therefore, NATO countries in the Black Sea region, including Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, bear enormous responsibility. Obviously, the situation around the Black Sea must be viewed in a broader regional context.

It is true that the agreement and mutual understanding reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan have created a positive mood and great hope for the region. When you look at the future of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, especially considering the positions of the two leaders - [Armenian Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan and [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev - it appears that things are moving in the right direction. Once again, I must say that President Trump and his administration deserve credit for the hard work they have done to bring these two countries to the negotiating table, especially given their difficult past. Let us see what happens, but the situation is promising.

As for Georgia, this is particularly sad for me. I have always considered myself a strong supporter of democratic Georgia. I have visited the country many times. I served as an advisor to Georgia’s Ministry of Defense… And now, seeing Georgian democracy being dismantled and Russian influence growing stronger and stronger - this is very bad for Georgia and the Georgian people, but also very bad for the entire region, because Georgia was a beacon of democracy. Georgia was a country that gave hope to others. Nevertheless, of course, I hope that Georgia will return to the path that I believe the majority of the Georgian people support - democracy,” Jüri Luik said.