Latvian President on Georgia and the EU / JAMnews

Latvian President on Georgia and the EU

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs believes that the situation in Georgia requires an urgent and decisive response from the European Union. He suggests that suspending Georgia’s candidate status would send a clear signal to the country’s government and prevent further deterioration. Rinkēvičs made these remarks at the international conference Riga StratCom Dialogue 2024.

“If we do not send a clear signal (to the Georgian government) and only express our concern verbally, the situation will worsen.”, said Edgars Rinkēvičs.

He called on the Georgian government to take into account the wishes of the people and to resist external influences that could hinder the country’s democratic development. He also stressed that Latvia would only support Georgia if it respected democratic principles and the rule of law.

On June 6, EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński gave a speech to students and stated that the Georgian people should not be punished for the actions of their government. He mentioned that the likelihood of lifting the visa-free regime with the EU was low. Herczyński also stressed that the EU’s position remains unchanged: the EU continues to support Georgia and wants it to take its place among the Union’s member states.