EU Ambassador to Georgia calls on Georgian gov't to respect Mikheil Saakashvili's rights
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
The Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski met with the chairmen of the committee in the Parliament of Georgia regarding the process of implementation of the 12 recommendations of the European Commission.
Pawel Herczynski, in a conversation with journalists in the Parliament, said that the European Union's representatives in Georgia call on the Georgian government to respect the rights of all prisoners, including former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.
"We are closely monitoring the ongoing court proceedings. We hope that the proceedings will be concluded soon. We call on the Georgian government to respect the rights of all prisoners, including Mikheil Saakashvili. It is their responsibility. I will repeat once again that we are concerned about Mikheil Saakashvili's health condition and we hope that he will improve," Herczynski said.
As Herchinsky noted, he and the representatives of the Georgian government have very open and honest conversations.
"We have very open, honest conversations and we listen to the opinions of the Georgian government, as well as different opinions in the Parliament of Georgia. We express our views and the sensitivities of our member countries on various issues. Most importantly, we agree more and more on all issues to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end of the year. I hope this is the direction we are heading. Our opinion is that it is the responsibility of the Georgian authorities to ensure that all the rights of all prisoners in Georgia are protected," said the EU ambassador.
According to him, at the end of this year, first the European Commission, and then the EU member states will discuss the progress achieved by Georgia and decide on the prospect of the country's future membership in the European Union.
"As the ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, I am ready to help you in this process. I hope that we will have a positive attitude, which in itself will affect the future steps of the country's accession to the European Union, including the granting of candidate status," Herczynski said.
