Brussels is punishing the country for refusing to fight Russia for Ukraine, Kakha Kaladze has said
European Union officials are spreading “lies, slander and misinformation” to pressure Georgia, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze asserted on Monday, saying the bloc had failed before in trying to draw the country into war with Russia using the same approach.
Kaladze, a former professional footballer who is now running for re-election as the ruling Georgian Dream party’s candidate, made the comments during a press conference after being pressed by opposition journalists about deteriorating ties with Brussels.
Georgia has sought EU membership, but relations soured after the bloc accused the government of backsliding on democratic reforms. Kaladze rejected the criticism, insisting that the country’s progress meeting the requirements for candidacy is being ignored for political reasons.
”As soon as a political narrative is introduced by some European bureaucrats, an unfair assessment immediately occurs. In general, their assessments are based on lies, slander, and misinformation,” he said.
The EU has voiced support for pro-Western Georgian opposition parties, which launched mass protests over alleged election fraud last year, and has threatened to revoke visa-free travel. Kaladze, who is also the ruling party’s secretary general, repeated claims that the criticism stems from Georgia standing up to Western pressure and maintaining neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.
”Direct threats, blackmail and insults were directed to the prime minister’s office to launch a second front,” Kaladze said. “Promises were made: ‘we will help, you will be provided with everything, with appropriate equipment,’ etc.”
He argued that introducing sanctions or fighting Russia militarily would have been ruinous, saying no responsible government could have taken that path.
Georgia and Russia fought a brief armed conflict in 2008 after then-President Mikhail Saakashvili launched an assault on South Ossetia, where Russian peacekeepers were stationed. Moscow quickly repelled the troops and later recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Tbilisi, however, still claims sovereignty over the territories.
The current government has blamed Saakashvili for the clash, accusing him of betraying national interests under foreign influence. The conflict broke out months after NATO pledged eventual membership for Georgia.
