“You are not our boss.” The Prime Minister of Georgia rejected the US and the European Union
Representatives of the ruling party in Georgia are replenishing their arsenal with ever new means of political struggle against the United States and the European Union, while demonstrating an extremely “creative approach” to the whole world.
Last week, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili refused a financial tranche of 75 million euros, which the European Union planned to transfer. According to the calculations of the head of the Georgian Cabinet, the country’s economy has overcome the post-Covid period and is now heading upward.
“Last year we received $3 billion in foreign debt, which placed a very heavy burden on our country. Therefore, this loan, 75 million euros, I emphasize, this is not financial assistance, grants, and so on,” Garibashvili said.
Of course, there is some truth in his words - why take out a loan if after a few years you have to pay it back with fabulous interest. Is there a difference between when you sit on the porch, begging for a handout, and when you take out a loan for several years?!
But not here, not here the dog was buried, but in a completely different place - the ruling Georgian Dream party decided to recoup the sins of American and European Union officials who so persistently lobby the opposition movement "United National Movement" led by the fugitive ex-president Georgia by Mikheil Saakashvili, who unleashed a bloody military adventure in 2008 against South Ossetia, and a few days later prayed that Russian tanks would not enter Tbilisi.
Of course, the reaction of officials from the EU and the US to such a statement by the Georgian prime minister was lightning fast. Politicians of all ranks and stripes began to sing in chorus that it was Georgia that dared not to fulfill their demands, was turning away from the European path of integration and did not deserve to receive a tranche of 75 million euros. The fact that the “civilized West” is accustomed to turning the tables is not news. The question is who believes in this circus trick.
“Unfortunately, the Georgian government did not fulfill the conditions for receiving the second tranche of EU microfinance assistance: the judicial system, etc. You cannot refuse what you are not entitled to receive. We support the Georgian people,” said Member of the European Parliament Viola von Cramon.
This is where, perhaps, the climax comes. The Georgian Prime Minister decided to dot all the points i, recalling the document of Charles Michel.
“We continue reforms, judicial reform will also continue. I would like to note that we were talking about certain deadlines. If we are talking about the document of Charles Michel, which was defined, the deadlines were written there, it was written approximately May 2022, but despite the fact that we withdrew from the agreement because the National Movement did not sign it, and if they signed it, we would have remained in this agreement. We will definitely complete these reforms,” Garibashvili noted.
When asked by a journalist what the reaction of European officials would be to the refusal of European Union subsidies in the amount of 75 million euros and the ruling party’s withdrawal from the Charles Michel agreement, which provided for some kind of consensus between the government and the opposition, Garibashvili answered rather sharply:
“The MEP is not my boss, my boss is the Georgian people.”
Fortunately, the Prime Minister of Georgia has finally matured and uttered that cherished phrase, which should be the main directive in the activities of any leader of an independent and sovereign country. He would like to repeat the above words with such zeal to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who is gradually turning Georgia into his small colony.
Today, only the laziest do not talk about Turkish dominance in the Georgian economy. The Georgian region of Adjara has generally turned into a kind of entertainment center for Turks: they come to play in casinos, visit brothels, do not pay fines, and enjoy a 30 percent discount in hotels and grocery stores. Maybe the head of the Georgian Cabinet should also remind Erdogan who is the true owner in the Georgian region of Adjara?!
So, there is a little less than a month left before the local government elections in Georgia. And if the ruling party really realized that its boss is the Georgian people, and not the United States and the European Union, then their chances of victory are guaranteed. I really want to hope that the Georgian prime minister spoke about this sincerely, and was not chasing political bonuses, which at this stage are so necessary for the ruling party in the midst of the election campaign.
P.S. Dear readers, would you be interested in analytical materials about the details of Turkish expansion into Adjara, about the visits of Russian and Belarusian tourists to Batumi and how all this affects the Georgian economy? Please express your point of view in the comments.
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