The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament has addressed an open letter to Paweł Herczyński, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia.

“Last year, I addressed you twice with a call to condemn hate speech and violence, but in vain. The grave consequences of the politically biased policy of turning a blind eye to violence and radicalism, most notoriously evident in the EU Spokesperson giving a rhetorical carte blanche to violence, led to a radical group’s attack on the Presidential Palace on October 4. Since then, for already more than 7 long months, not a single European official has publicly condemned the coup, as if violent coups were a normal practice of European politics.

Unacceptable recent remarks about Georgia going to its ‘dark past’, with an implicit menace against our people, epitomise the wrongness of the EU’s current policies. However, as seen from the perspective of Georgian people, Europe itself may be heading towards its dark past indeed, which Robert Schuman and other great women and men of his generation tried to never repeat.

Georgia offers a very clear path forward. Halting current offensive rhetoric, rectifying damaging policies, and retracting unfair resolutions can pave the way to a genuine dialogue, prudence, and unity, which reflect, indeed, the original spirit of Europe Day.

If Europe Day is to retain its meaning, it must once again stand for what it originally embodied: peace, cooperation, and unity grounded in respect for nations and their identities”, - reads the open letter.