A visit to Georgia, gripped by political crisis, must be coordinated at the European Union level, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said.
“First of all, it has to be coordinated at the EU level, and such a common position is being formed now,” he told BNS in Kaunas on Thursday.
Earlier, Nausėda said he was discussing a trip to Georgia with the leaders of the Baltic countries and Poland. Last week, he said he had raised the issue at the annual meeting of the Baltic countries’ presidents.
The Lithuanian president also plans to discuss a potential visit to Georgia next week in Estonia, which will host the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders’ Summit.
Georgia has been mired in turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party – accused by the opposition of moving the country towards Russia – claimed victory in the October 26 parliamentary polls. The pro-Western opposition dismissed the vote as rigged.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s subsequent announcement on November 28 that his government was suspending Georgia’s talks to join the EU triggered mass demonstrations across the country that were met with a tough police response, especially in the capital Tbilisi.
The crackdown has triggered outrage at home, as well as a mounting international condemnation.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
