Baku, November 4, AZERTAC
Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili addressed the upcoming European Commission report on Georgia, noting that while Tbilisi supplied all necessary data for its preparation, how that information will be reflected in the final document remains unclear, according to 1TV.ge.
“I can only offer a preliminary assessment of expectations based on the facts of the past year; however, it is naturally difficult to draw conclusions before the report is officially published. Overall, the way the dialogue process between Georgia and the EU has unfolded does not, in itself, allow for objective evaluations. Without dialogue, assessments will prove difficult. We have, of course, supplied the EU with all the information required to prepare the report, but it remains unknown how this material will be presented and used in the report or its conclusions,” Botchorishvili said.
The Foreign Minister noted that the absence of EU engagement at both technical and political levels hampers an accurate analysis of the country’s progress.
“It should also be noted that this report is largely anchored in the Association Agenda. The Association dialogue provides the framework to properly assess all processes underway within the country and across EU–Georgia relations. Under circumstances where the EU engages in no dialogue at any level, neither technical nor political, the European Commission can’t form a correct analysis or accurate assessment of developments in the country,” she stated.
Botchorishvili questioned whether the EU is willing to objectively acknowledge Georgia’s progress and foster relations grounded in factual data and genuine dialogue.
“Whether there is a genuine desire to do so remains an open question for us. Is the EU ready to objectively evaluate the progress the country has made? Last year, we saw that the EU omitted an economic assessment altogether, which once again signalled an unreadiness to recognize the direction of our country’s growth. We must wait for the report to see its contents, after which we can evaluate the broader trends in Brussels regarding Georgia and determine whether there is a readiness to ground our future relations on real information and direct dialogue,” Botchorishvili concluded.