On October 18, EU ambassador to Georgia Pawel Hisczynski emphasized the importance of holding the forthcoming elections in Georgia in an environment of freedom and fairness and called on all Georgians go to the polls and make their choice, remembering that they are the one’s who decide the future their country. He also spoke of EU-Georgia relationships, the stalled EU Integration process, and noted that the ruling party has been spreading anti-EU propaganda at a rapid pace.
The Ambassador spoke about the conclusions of the European Council and highlighted the key messages in the document. These included the EU’s support of Georgia’s goal to integrate into the EU and the “deplorable state” of EU-Georgian relationships, for which the “blame is placed on the Georgian Authorities who have deliberately distanced Georgia from the EU over the past several months by actions, statements and legislations.”
Noting that elections will take place in a week, he said that it is up to Georgians and their children to decide what future they wish for themselves and their kids. “Each of you will get a chance to decide whether you want Georgia to join the European Union. We are ready to welcome all of you.” We are ready to welcome Georgia as a member of European Union. But this must be done in accordance with the rules and principles that apply both to us, the 27 current EU member states and to all countries who want to join. These rules are very clear: freedom, democracy and rule of law. These rules are enshrined into European Union treaties, and they are not negotiable,” stressed the Ambassador.
Amb. Herczynski stated that “elections are a festival for democracy” and that the EU “insists on” free and fair elections, that every party has an opportunity to present their program and compete against each other in a transparency and inclusive environment, and that every citizen has a right to cast his/her secret vote. “I hope that people will turn out to vote and that the turnout is historic because these elections are vital for Georgia’s future. Please vote. It is your right. This is your right, this is your duty and this is what you choose. “You have the power to decide your future, for you and your children,” said he. “Your vote is important,” stressed the Ambassador to Georgians.
He also stated that the EU would be closely monitoring the elections, and that they will be waiting for the OSCE/ODIHR press conference and report that will take place the following day. They will also share their assessment of the election process and await the opinions of other international and local observers. “I can only reiterate that it is absolutely necessary that elections in Georgia be conducted to the highest international standards and European standards. I sincerely hope this will be true.”
The Ambassador also stressed that whatever the Georgians decide, the European Union will respect it, underlining that this is “the biggest difference between European Union & Soviet Union“. [This was allegedly in response to Tbilisi mayor and GD Secretary-General Kakha Kaladze, who equated EU with the USSR on October 14]. The Ambassador also said that while the choice would be respected, Georgia’s status as a one-party country with no opposition parties or CSOs and no free media or protection of human right will prevent it from becoming an EU member.
In relation to the EU-Georgia relationship and the EU integration, he reiterated that the European Council made a decision in June of this year to halt the accession process due GD’s deliberate decisions and actions. “So, the issue is not in Brussels. The problem isn’t in Washington. The problem and solution are not in Kiev. “The problem and solution are in Georgia,” he said.
He recalled in the enlargement reports Georgia received when it was granted candidate country status in Nov 2023, that one of the key requirements was to stop anti Western, anti EU propaganda. “Unfortunately, the anti-Western and anti-European propaganda has not stopped throughout last year. As I live in Tbilisi, and as I listen to your reports, I get the impression that we’ve had a competition over the last few months. We have a competition between the highest officials in the Georgian government and ruling party to see who can insult the European Union. This is clearly unacceptable,” said the Ambassador.
He said that the EU was a “true peaceful project” that had made the “difficult and brave” decision to open up the door for Georgia, and share in the “peace and stability, development and prosperity,” but that this could only happen under certain conditions. Sadly, the last year was wasted. The distance between Georgia and the European Union has increased, not decreased.
The Ambassador also discussed the losses that Georgia would suffer if it continued on its current path. He said that the government had already lost $121,000,000 of EU aid and that if this trajectory is not changed, “Georgia” will continue to lose more. To illustrate the benefits of joining, he used the example of Poland. Poland had 50 km of highways 20 years ago before joining the EU. Now, it has 5,000 km. “And this goes for all aspects of life.” He concluded that membership in the European Union was a guarantee of peace and stability, as well as development and prosperity.
Herczynski spoke to journalists following the event organized by Deutsche Welle Akademie, in collaboration with Center for Media, Information and Social Research and Caucasus Open Space. During the event experts discussed media literacy, media literacy, resistance to misinformation, and media freedom.
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