According to Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International - Georgia, the main message of Georgian non-governmental organizations during the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany was that the society in Georgia wants and deserves candidate status of the European Union.

As Eka Gigauri mentioned in a conversation with journalists after the meeting, the fact that the minister first met with non-governmental organizations was a declaration of support to the civil sector.

According to her, Annalena Baerbock thanked the non-governmental organizations for their struggle on the path of the implementation of the 12 recommendations.

"We talked about recent developments, about what is happening in our country. We discussed the Russian law and the processes that were before and after the initiation of this law. Our main message was that the society in Georgia wants a status from the European Union and we deserve this status. We will do everything to get this status, but we need the help of our Western partners. We asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany to support our people on this path. The Government is not doing anything for the European future, they are just messing things up.

The fact that the minister first met non-governmental organizations was a declaration of support to the civil sector. Although several NGOs attended the meeting, it does not mean that only we are supported. She thanked all of us for the fight that we are having to ensure that the 12 recommendations of the European Union are fulfilled. On the one hand, we talked about the challenges that exist, but on the other hand, we said that despite everything, the Georgian people deserve the status", said Eka Gigauri.

In addition, as she noted, the issue of Nika Gvaramia's imprisonment was also discussed at the meeting. According to her, the fact that the media environment in Georgia is unfavorable is understandable for Europe.

"Our Western partners are looking for ways for Georgia to get the status. They also believe that Georgia is part of Europe, it just has certain steps to take. During the recent demonstrations, we all saw that all groups of society came together. If the citizens of Georgia had not expressed our pro-European position so clearly, we would not have received such support from Europe.

Any attempt to not implement the 12 recommendations, including the initiation of this law, is a threat to the European future. Creating such an impression about the Government is certainly bad for the overall process.

We talked about the media environment and Nika Gvaramia's imprisonment. They do not express their positions, however, the fact that the media environment in Georgia is unfavorable is clear to them," said Eka Gigauri.

source: IPN