Paweł Herczyński: Do you expect EU representatives to start explaining the "deep state"? Should we engage in a dialogue about the "global war party"? Should we discuss the differences between the European Union and the Soviet Union? The smear campaign must stop for dialogue to resume

The ruling party in Georgia has stripped the dialogue of any substance; do you really expect serious representatives of EU institutions to start discussing the "deep state"? – Paweł Herczyński, EU Ambassador to Georgia, stated during a press conference.

“The European Union is founded on dialogue. Dialogue is part of our DNA. Behind me, you see the flags of the 27 EU member states. We are constantly engaged in negotiations, reaching compromises to arrive at a consensus.

So, in reality, when I listened to Mr. Irakli Kobakhidze’s interview with Euronews yesterday, I felt it was very positive that he kept mentioning dialogue - dialogue, and more dialogue. As the European Union, we fully support dialogue.

The problem is that, over the last three years, the ruling party in Georgia has stripped this dialogue of all substance through democratic backsliding, pressure on civil society, threats to ban the political opposition, pressure on independent media, and a daily smear campaign against the European Union.

What do you expect the European Union to talk about? Do you expect serious representatives of EU institutions to start discussing the concept of a ‘deep state’? Do you expect us to [discuss] the ‘global war party’? Do you expect us to discuss the differences between the European Union and the Soviet Union?

This smear campaign must stop for the dialogue to resume," stated Herczyński.