The Georgian authorities continue to pressure the opposition. The European Union has reacted to the violent dismantling of the opposition's tent city in Tbilisi. The 100 million euros previously planned for allocation to the Georgian government will instead be directed to support the civil sector to energize protests. Earlier, Members of the European Parliament had already proposed canceling Georgia's visa-free regime. The pro-Russian government is increasingly isolating itself from the civilized world and becoming more dependent on Russian overseers. The Georgian people must rise against dictatorship!

According to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU proposes allocating more than 100 million euros to Georgian civil society organizations. These funds were initially intended for the Georgian government. 

"We need to make specific decisions. I propose suspending support for significant programs directed to the government. Over 100 million euros will be frozen and, instead of being allocated to the government, will be redirected to civil society organizations. So, we will take this money, about 100 million, and give it to civil society organizations to support their fight for fair elections. People must be confident that the European Union will continue to support them. The EU accession process is paused until the Georgian government returns to its former course. And to return, much needs to change. In the meantime, we will use the funds allocated to the government for the people fighting for their freedom," he said.

Georgian opposition parties, which previously did not recognize the results of parliamentary elections, sent a joint letter to Josep Borrell and the foreign ministers of EU countries. Among other things, the letter calls for suspending financial aid to the government until the investigation results on election violations are made public; redirecting aid funds to Georgian NGOs and independent media; creating mechanisms for direct support of civil society organizations; establishing an emergency fund for independent media under pressure; and supporting programs that contribute to democratic resilience and election integrity.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties believe that the parliamentary elections were rigged and their results do not reflect the will of the Georgian people.

Source: https://www.ekhokavkaza.com