The door is open and is available. We will not move this door in the direction of “the Georgian dream” – and we won’t go beyond the values of European Union. This was said by Robin Wagener, member of German Bundestag and coordinator of German federal government inter-community collaboration of South Caucasus countries, Republic of Moldova, and Central Asian nations. He said this in an exclusive interview with “InterpressNews”, after the Bundestag passed the resolution on Georgia.
According to him the message from the German Bundestag was clear that Georgia would not become a member in the European Union or resume the accession with the law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” and the legislation against minorities.
“We granted candidate status as a mark of respect for Georgia‘s strong civil societies, which unambiguously want to be a part of the European Union, and which are unambiguously following this path. But we also expected that the Georgian authorities would take further steps to become a member to the European Union. We can see that the European Union’s door is now open, but Georgia has chosen to go in a different path due to the “Georgian Dream Government”. The main vision of the resolution is that there will be no EU membership and no further membership process in the EU due to the anti-non-governmental or foreign influence of Russian law and also the existence of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. These two laws are so clearly in opposition to the values of the EU, that they cannot be used as a basis for further accession. The Georgian people now have to decide whether they want to move forward with the current course or towards the open door of European Union. This decision must be taken at the elections,” said Robin Wagener.
According to his explanation, he said that the European Union was not an economic club but a society founded on values. Georgians who wish to join the European Union should focus on this because there is no interference with the domestic processes of Georgia.
“The door is open and here, but it’s the decision of Georgian government and Georgian citizens not to go through the door. We will not take this door to the “Georgian Dream”. We have made it very clear that the door will be opened when there is a union of liberal democracies with a values-based state, the protection of minorities, and the idea of an active civil society. This union is founded on these fundamental principles, and if Georgia decides to not meet these requirements, then it is Georgia that will not pass through this door. We will not go through this door. We will not go beyond the values of the European Union. The door is wide open, and Georgia has the option to pass through it. However, this decision should be made by the Georgian people and should take place at the elections.
In order to be a part of the European Union – a society that is not only an economic club but also a society of values committed to democracy and the rule of law as well as a liberal democracy and the protection of minorities -, we have set out specific requirements. We did this in our resolution. This is not an argument, but rather a statement that if you don’t meet the requirements, you can’t be a part of a society founded on these values.
According to the deputy, Germany doesn’t want to punish Georgia for its bravery.
“We don’t want to punish the people. We don’t wish to punish the brave people who protest in the streets in this very polarized, dangerous, and violent environment for their health. In fact, the facts of violence have been recorded. We don’t want Georgians to be punished for these brave people who continue to protest. Wagener said, “We have stated clearly that the course taken will not lead to a further accession to European Union.”
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