Kakha Kaladze Slams EU Criticism, Compares Union to Soviet Union
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Kakha Kaladze, the general secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party and mayor of Tbilisi, heavily criticized the European Union during a recent statement regarding discussions on Georgia's status at the meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg.
"What does it matter whether it is the status of the Soviet Union or the European Union?" Kaladze remarked, emphasizing that Georgia's fight for independence was rooted in a desire to be free from external control. "What did we fight for? To be independent. We were in the Soviet Union and we didn't want to be; we were all stamped states, we all had the same line. We wanted to be free and independent."
He further argued that the current treatment of Georgia by the EU mirrors its past under Soviet rule. "What they frame and do today is no different from the Soviet Union. We want freedom, independence, our sovereignty. Why does Europe have a price? By the fact that there are different states that have their own culture and traditions. This diversity makes the European Union and Europe in general interesting. If we cross out all this and we have to be labeled the same, what does it matter whether it is the status of the Soviet Union or the European Union?" he added. He labeled this attitude as "unbelievable" and unacceptable.
Kaladze also fired back at German Minister of European Affairs Anna Lührmann, who criticized the current Georgian government for creating obstacles to EU integration. Dismissing her comments, Kaladze labeled them as having "zero value" and referred to her as "an ordinary Kubilius in a dress," a jab at MEP Andrius Kubilius.
"Today, the Georgian people are represented by the government of Georgia. This is a sad reality for them. We have heard a lot of this type of statement, and these statements have zero value. I don't know who this lady is; she's just an ordinary Kubilius in a dress. This is my current attitude towards them," Kaladze stated.
