Irakli Kobakhidze claims Romania, Spain, and Italy shift stance on Georgia 'under pressure'
Kobakhidze says Romania forced to change stance
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that Romania, Spain, and Italy altered their stance in the EU Council on sanctions against the Georgian government not voluntarily but under pressure. He claimed there is credible information suggesting that the three countries initially opposed the sanctions.
On December 17, Romania, Italy, and Spain announced their full support for EU High Representative Kaja Kallas’s proposal on sanctions against Georgian officials involved in violence against peaceful protesters.
This statement exposed Kobakhidze’s false claims, as he had previously thanked “Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, and Spain for their “strong stance in supporting Georgia in the EU Council.”
What Irakli Kobakhidze said
“Take Romania, for example. One of the journalists from the European bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which is frequently cited by Georgian media, Mr. Jozwiak, confirmed that Romania was among those who initially opposed sanctions. However, we later saw that Romania was forced to take the opposite position.
This surprises no one: you’ve seen how, in Romania, even the Constitutional Court was made to reverse [a decision] in a single day. Mr. Matthew Miller appeared and practically issued a threatening statement toward Romania’s Constitutional Court. He stated that anyone challenging European and Euro-Atlantic values in Romania would be punished, and he did so in the context of a Constitutional Court decision.
The same applies to Spain and Italy—there were reports in open sources indicating that they opposed the idea of sanctions.
Accordingly, we made a statement based on very credible information, but this was followed by speculation from the opposition. I would like to once again thank all the countries that supported the Georgian people at the EU Council meeting.”
