Vashadze on the MEPs Letter: Georgia is Closely Controlled by the European Parliament
“Whenever I was able to, I intentionally broke my self-isolation and came out in public: I had a negative test result, yet I should still have stayed home for twelve days. Why?” - Giorgi Vashadze.
Georgian politician Giorgi Vashadze reflected on a letter received from the Members of the European Parliament, calling it the heaviest message Georgia has ever received from them. He was a guest on a talk show Political Friday on TV Pirveli, where he discussed the economic situation in Georgia and the actions he has taken to help solve the major problems.
“To me this [letter] is an indicator that the situation in Georgia is very closely controlled by them [MEPs]. I think this letter is of great significance. First of all, from a state point of view, it is bad for the country because they are basically telling us to follow certain behavioral norms. Second of all, this was a very direct response to an insolent announcement, and it reminded everyone who represents who, and that the Ambassador of the European Union does not speak for himself. It was a heavy message. To be straightforward, I cannot remember receiving a message like this before. This does not have to do with position/opposition anymore. It’s more concerned with what’s generally happening in the country and what democratic and European standards stand for. I am sure the members of the government started to blame each other. Of course they were not expecting this. This shows us a lot about their moral standards and culture. Ironically, this person is being appointed as the Minister of Culture.
“Let’s be direct and say that hunger is a bigger problem than COVID. I was in Kutaisi yesterday, and the situation in the regions is much worse. The airport was the only major source of income for Kutaisi, and now everyone is bankrupt. I plan to stand next to them all. The only way all this can be solved is through supporting and sharing problems with each other.
“If we had requested the opening of the borders on time, and allowed everyone with negative test results to enter the country, coronavirus would not have exploded in Batumi either. The explosion of the virus there happened because of people that were brought in illegally. Certain regulations should exist of course, but we should be able to manage the risks. I have started going around and talking to people, telling them that we should stand together and support each other. I would definitely get rid of the curfew. Our main concern is to protect ourselves from mass gatherings. People do not have enough money to bring guests over anymore. Here is what needs to be done: these immeasurable restrictions should be removed. Whenever I was able to, I intentionally broke my self-isolation and came out in public: I have a negative test result, yet I should still have stayed home for twelve days. Why? Other than restrictions, it is also very important to concentrate on vaccines. Until at least 60% of the population is vaccinated, we won’t be able to get back to our normal lives. The government members should not be sitting in their offices. They should fly to these companies. Of course the CEO of the company will meet you if you are a premier minister of a country. There is a huge fight between states so that they can get the vaccines, while our government was late to register on the COVID platform to get the vaccines in the first place,” Vashadze said.
By Barbare Melikidze
Image source: wikipedia.org
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