Ambassador of the European Union in Georgia Paweł Herczyński says that Georgia will never become a member of the European Union if it is a one-party country in which the opposition is prohibited and from which civil organizations are sent abroad to work. Also, if the basic rights of people, including the rights of minorities, are not protected. The ambassador announced this to journalists at the presentation of "Election Compass Georgia 2024".
He was asked about the pre-election statements of 'Georgian Dream', in response to which the ambassador noted that the European Union is based on specific values, which are freedom, democracy, the rule of law, minority rights, and expressed hope that the new government of the country will respect these norms.
"I hope that in the elections on October 26, the people of Georgia will elect a new government that will follow these norms. Let me be very frank, if Georgia becomes a one-party state, if Georgia becomes a state in which the opposition is banned, where civil society will need to go abroad to function, if people's basic rights, including the rights of minorities, are not protected, Georgia cannot become a member of the European Union, neither today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after. These are non-controversial principles, which all current and future member states must strictly protect," the ambassador said.
